RRW51 – final course of 2025
November 28, 2025
The final rural week of 2025 and as ever, we are delighted to be back at Bicton College A smaller cohort of 5 beneficiaries. 1 Army, 1 Royal Navy and 3 RAF joined course manager – Chris and welfare officer – Pete on Sunday evening and settled into a cohesive group right away. As always it was a pleasure to have Chair of Trustees – Simon, CEO – Jamie, there to welcome the group.
The residential week is made up of visits to a variety of locations, each one a different sector within the land-based economy allowing the group to gain first hand understanding of the realities of the work, opportunities available, what is needed and most importantly, what is not needed in order to transition into that area. The chance to ask questions of people with extensive experience of working within the sectors and get honest answers is hugely valuable and helps dispel myths and build connections. The week is about starting the process of understanding what type of work and which sector(s) feels right for each individual, whether that be land-based engineering, greenkeeping or equine therapy.
We were delighted to welcome Jim Holland of Carma Earth who shared his transition story with the group – hugely inspiring to all. Carma’s tree planting supports HighGround financially and we are delighted to have a fantastic relationship with them. Our evening speaker this week was David Wright, who now works as a ranger in Windsor Great Park and has a story that inspires.
It is rare that people have a whole week where they can focus on what is next in their careers and having that time allows then to take a deep dive into what is important to them. This approach helps beneficiaries decide on a pathway that fits their whole life. Being outdoors is of course an essential part of the week, no matter the weather and the mix of frost, a little rain and even a little sunshine added to the authenticity of the week.
These weeks would be nothing without the support of some amazing people and organisations.
This week, the group explored the following sectors:
Agri-Tech – with Ed Parrish of Bicton College
Agriculture – Kevin Bond of Home Farm, Bicton College
Woodland Management – with John Wilding of Clinton Devon Estates
Aboriculture – with Kirsty and Matt of Hi-Line Tree Services
Equine industry – with Rob Bateson of Budleigh Riding School
Wildlife Conservation – with Toby Taylor from RSPB Aylesbeare Common
Forestry – with Josh Stephen of Haldon Forest Park
Heritage Gardening – with Karl Emaleus, Head Gardener at Killerton House
Greenkeeping – with Terry Farkins and Andy George from Woodbury Park Golf Club
Commercial vegetable growing – with Rodney Hall of Roddy Hall Organics
Forest School – Nick Murphy of The Outdoors Group
Wildlife Ranger – Tom Garner of Clinton Devon Estates
Self employment Jamie Ranson (tree surgeon and hedge layer) Langore Tree Services
Smallholding – Debbie Kingsley South Yeo Farm West
Gin distilling and rare breeds – Mark and Dawn Rees Gotland Gin
Rural Estate Management – Robert Honan of Ascott Estate
The week ends with round-up sessions in which we explain the next steps in support from HighGround and pass on details of other organisations who can provide in areas such as CV writing, putting military experience into civilian language and also to remind them of the importance of maintaining support networks. Once part of the HighGround family, beneficiaries have our support for as long as they need it. We love hearing good news stories and indeed, several presenters have previously attended HighGround courses.
Pictures from the week can be seen here
We are indebted to funders this week – Greenwich Hospital, Army Central Fund, RAF Benevolent Fund and Veterans Foundation – their generous support makes these weeks possible.
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