Jacob Taylor and Andrew Newton have received the EGGER Forestry prize for 2020 and 2021. Both submitted a Forest Management plan as part of their degree and received top marks from their lecturers.

In normal circumstances, Mike Yerbury, director of EGGER Forestry, would have presented prizes at their graduation, but instead he invited both students to visit EGGER UK’s chipboard production site.

The students travelled to EGGER (UK) Ltd in Hexham, Northumberland on October 27 and, during their visit, they were given an insight into EGGER Forestry, an overview of EGGER UK’s operations and products, and were taken on a tour of its state-of-the-art production site.

A presentation ceremony was conducted, to acknowledge the expertise and hard work that both students had shown in their Forest Management plan. Each were awarded a certificate, £250 and a bespoke chipboard plaque, to recognise their success. Tom Coates and Ben Drake, past students from the University of Cumbria, who both now work for EGGER Forestry, also attended the presentation.

“I am delighted to have been able to celebrate the hard work and dedication of both Jacob and Andrew and award them with their prize,” said Mr Yerbury. “It was a pleasure to host them on site and explain the work EGGER Forestry does to support EGGER UK’s chipboard production. The University of Cumbria’s National School of Forestry is nurturing talent of the future and we are proud to support them.”.

“I’m extremely grateful to both the University of Cumbria and EGGER for their support, which has allowed me to progress into a promising career within the forestry sector,” said Jacob Taylor, winner of the 2020 prize. “I am honoured to receive this award and hope this will inspire others to pursue a career in forestry.”

“I’d like to extend my thanks to both EGGER and the University of Cumbria for the award,” said Andrew Newton, winner of the 2021 prize. “Receiving industry recognition from EGGER for my management plan was particularly welcome after a challenging year in unusual circumstances. The link between students and industry is vital and this award is an excellent example of that within the forest industry.”

“Andrew and Jacob have both made the most of studying with us and I am so pleased that they have won this award for best forest management plan,” said Dr Andrew Leslie, senior lecturer in forestry at the University of Cumbria. “Many thanks to EGGER for organising this event and providing such a generous prize. We do appreciate this and the other support that EGGER have given the National School of Forestry and its students.”