Newton Rigg

National_Citizen_ServiceI was delighted to be involved in the successful campaign to keep Newton Rigg Agricultural College open.  This was a major campaign bringing hundreds onto the streets of Penrith and adding their names to an online petition to ‘Keep Newton Rigg Cumbrian’, and involved dozens of meetings with ministers, civil servants and the University of Cumbria.

I am delighted that the college is now flourishing, but continue to push for more security for its long-term future – and in particular guarantees on its land holdings, which I believe should not be sold, but instead preserved for the people of Cumbria. In the meantime I am supporting many initiatives at Newton Rigg, including a new focus on Uplands and Outdoor Education.

RORY JOINS LARGEST EVER GRADUATING CLASS AT NEWTON RIGG

On Friday, local MP and Minister for Rural Affairs Rory Stewart attended the 2015 Graduation Ceremony at Newton Rigg, of the triumvirate of agricultural colleges – including Askham Bryan satellite colleges at Guisborough and at Newcastle – of which Newton Rigg in Penrith and The Border is the hub. Rory joined Askham Bryan Executive Principal […]

RORY CONTINUES CAMPAIGN FOR CUMBRIAN OUTDOOR INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

Rory met with Chief Executive of the Institute for Outdoor Learning , Andy Robinson, in Penrith, as he continues in his campaign to make Cumbria a world-leader in outdoor pursuits and education. Rory has recently played an integral role in efforts to setup a satellite centre for the National Mountain Centre in local college, Newton […]

RORY WORKS WITH NEWTON RIGG TO DEVELOP SATELLITE NATIONAL OUTDOOR CENTRE

Rory has met with representatives from Plas Y Brenin National Outdoor Centre, to discuss the viability and potential for setting up a satellite centre at Newton Rigg college that would aim to meet local demand for outdoor education within the North of the England. Widely recognised as a centre of excellence within the industry of […]

the future of newton rigg

Rory is ‘cautiously optimistic’ that the Government may now provide guarantees to ‘keep Newton Rigg Cumbrian.’ In response to a year-long Cumbrian campaign, the Skills Funding Agency has said publicly that it will not allow Newton Rigg’s assets to be stripped. Rory says: “This is a start but it’s not yet good enough. We need it not just in […]

two campaigns: penrith cinema and newton rigg

On Thursday, I defended Cumbrian community action in the London School of Economics, where the rhetoric was as extreme as the setting was bland. My opponents compared parish council initiatives to Athenian slavery and the Bombing of Baghdad, in front of a quiet scholarly audience in a lecture theatre. On Saturday, I was amidst the […]

letter to herald on newton rigg

  I am delighted to see that all the main parties in Penrith and the Border, the Herald, and a very impressive range of non-political groups are now joined in our campaign to save Newton Rigg. This is far too important for party politics. There has never been more need for land-based education and the […]

newton rigg, walking and penrith new squares

Today, Tuesday January 17th, I went with the Conservative Party group of Penrith and the Border to announce our support for the Newton Rigg campus and to oppose plans to close the site. Newton Rigg is vital to Cumbria both in terms of the training it provides and because of its broader contribution to the […]