Training Grants
Bakewell Agricultural and Horticultural Society awards 10 grants of up to £1,000 each throughout the year, meaning that we contribute up to £10,000 towards the local land-based sector of the rural economy.
Bakewell AHS Training Grants
As part of the Society’s commitment to supporting the land-based sector of the rural economy we give 10 grants of up to £1,000 each year.
The Award is open to individuals of all ages involved in agriculture, horticulture or forestry and can be used as part payment for course fees, training courses, books or equipment.
Applications are invited from individuals living within a 30 mile radius of Bakewell in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire and South Yorkshire.
To apply please contact us using the form on our contact page to let us know who you are and a brief overview of what you require funding for. We will then send you a form for the next stage of the application.
Training Grant Awardees
The individuals who are successfully awarded our training grants work hard to develop their skills and knowledge in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Read on to meet some of our successful applicants.
Sarah Green
British Wool Board Machine Shearing Course
Sarah Green from Matlock applied to BAHS for funding for a shearing course back in 2020 after hearing about our training grant scheme on Facebook.
After a delayed start due to Covid, Sarah finally completed the two-day beginners machine shearing course with the British Wool Board in July 2022.
Sarah said: "I wanted to do a British Wool Board shearing course so that I could shear my own flock of Pedigree Jacobs and then use their fleece for local crafters.
"At the end of the course I was awarded my Blue Seal and learnt so much from Bill and Brian who ran the course. Thank you to Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society for supporting the training opportunity and Heyridge Farm at Bamford for supplying the sheep for us to learn and practice with."
Dean Mellor
Lantra Dry Stone Walling Course
Dean Mellor applied to BAHS for a training grant in 2021 in order to undertake his Lantra Level 1 and Level 2 dry stone walling qualifications.
An active member of the Derbyshire branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association, Dean was keen to upskill in his craft and hopefully learn to pass on his expertise by teaching others in the future.
Dean said: "I passed my Level 1 Lantra test for dry stone walling with an 87.5% mark. This grant has been a lifesaver for me and it's definitely helping me set up as a professional waller."
Keep an eye out for Dean demonstrating his skills at local shows and practice weekends.
Deanna Worth
Hand Spinning & Peg Loom Weaving
Deanna Worth from Wirksworth applied for a training grant in order to learn the traditional crafts of hand spinning and peg loom weaving.
Deanna's smallholding, Springs Lane Farm, is home to sheep and alpacas, it is also open to the public for an alpaca walking experience, which includes an introduction to needle felting.
Keen to expand the business model and learn how to process raw fleeces, Deanna approached BAHS for funding support to upskill in this area and purchase a spinning wheel and drum carder,
Deanna said: "Raw fleeces often get discarded or bagged up awaiting use. It's quite difficult and expensive to get them processed at 'mini mills', with long waiting times for their return.
"When you are a small self-employed business it is difficult to afford the training and equipment you need to set things up. We wanted to be more self-sufficient and make full use of our lovely animals by learning to make unique and local items."
Tracey Langton Ballard
Third Generation Dairy Farmer
Tracey took over the running of the family farm after her dad died in 2019. She is slowly rebuilding the dairy herd using Sexcel and her own Angus bull and numbers are growing again.
Although Tracey has worked on the farm in some capacity all her life, it was her dad who did all the technical jobs and now Tracey is using the BAHS grant to fund learning courses for her to be able to do such jobs for herself, without having to rely on the help and goodwill of friends and neighbours.
She has embarked upon a series of practical workshop in conjunction with her local veterinary practice for injection techniques, rumen pump usage, disbudding, castration, bolus application and BCS. She has also been able to enrol on LANTRA courses for rodent control and for pesticide training.
"I want to say a massive thank you to you and all at BAHS. I’ve now got the skills I need to do the job going forward effectively and efficiently. I can’t thank you enough."
Charlotte Allen
Independent Soil Manager
Charlotte graduated from the University of Derby with first class honours in Countryside Management in 2011. Having spent a lot of time on and around farms and associated businesses she took the plunge and began soil testing independently in December 2019.
Charlotte offers soil testing including trace elements, manure, slurry and water testing for farmers across the country, but mostly Derbyshire and Staffordshire. She also offers soil mapping using GPS technology to allow farmers to apply their Fertiliser at a variable rate. This ensures precision application resulting in greater yields and is far more cost effective.
Charlotte successfully applied for the Training Grant and is embarking upon the FACTS course to allow her to advise her customers on the fertiliser requirements. She intends to be able to provide a full agronomy service from start to finish.
Charlotte’s quad is a Yamaha Grizzly 450 and is named Bella by her daughter!
Lauren, Dale Cottage Farm
Grass and Soil Health
"It's been very useful attending the courses held by Niels Corfield and refreshing our knowledge on the importance of good grass health. The courses have balanced theory and practical work, which required us going out onto our fields and studying our soils and grass with the support of the 'Soil Mentor' app.
"Tests included identifying grass variety, grass density, worm count, dung beetle count and filtration rates and the results from the tests have since helped us identify what practices will help us improve our grass health without the need of synthetics - which is practice we do not do anyway.
"The courses have also helped us better understand how we will introduce rotational and bale grazing with our Galloway herd and how to develop a rotational grazing chart to better plan for the grazing year.
"It has been beneficial to refresh knowledge and a great opportunity to learn from other like-minded farmers. Many thanks to the Society for supporting us and helping us attend these courses, every day's a school day and I always appreciate the opportunity for continued learning."
Laurie Bale
Hedgelaying
Laurie's grandad, John Stafford, taught him how to hedgelay a few years ago, but he didn't find himself getting much experience of it until he entered Derby YFC's hedgelaying match in 2019, which he went on to win.
Word of mouth recommendations led to more hedgelaying work from local farmers and Laurie found himself beginning to build a customer base.
The Training Grant awarded to Laurie by BAHS has enabled him to enrol on a Derbyshire Landskills City & Guilds qualification for Chainsaw Cross Cutting, Maintenance and Felling of Small Trees and he hopes to move on to Forestry work in the future.
"I’ve now completed the training part of the course I just have the assessment coming up in a few weeks and then I should be fully qualified. Thank you ever so much for providing me with such a fantastic opportunity!"
