Alumni events

180th Bledisloe Lecture with Dame Helen Ghosh

This prestigious lecture is named after eminent RAU alumnus Charles Bathurst, the first Lord Bledisloe (1867-1958) who was also Governor General of New Zealand in the early 1900s, who was deeply interested in agriculture and forestry and was one of the staunchest supporters of the then Royal Agricultural College.

This year's Bledisloe speaker is Dame Helen Ghosh.

Dame Helen Ghosh DCB has worked for over 30 years in a variety of government departments, including the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Cabinet Office, HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions. Helen was Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Permanent Secretary at the Home Office. She left the Civil Service in 2012 to become Director General of the National Trust, and took up her role as Master of Balliol in April 2018. While a civil servant, she worked on key environmental policies, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the protection of habitat for endangered species.

This is an annual event held in the Boutflour Hall, previous speakers have included Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE, Helen Browning and Teresa Wickham. The lecture usually starts at 6:30pm and previous lectures have included a question-and-answer session at the end as part of the event.

Tickets and parking are free. Visit this link to book on Eventbrite.

Croissants & Questions Breakfast Series at Farm491

Join Farm491 and The Growth Hub Cirencester for the 'Croissants & Questions’ business breakfast at the Royal Agricultural University on Thursday, 29 May. This month the focus is on sustainable food production, with a spotlight shone on local food supply chain.

Listen to guest speakers Darren Sharp, Executive Chef at the RAU, and Annie Landless of Ampney Brook Farm, with a talk and tour of FWAG’s GREAT Zerodig site on the RAU campus by Rachel Wheatley, Head Grower.

Darren will discuss his passion for locally sourced, sustainably produced seasonal produce and how he has brought this passion to the RAU’s catering for students, conferences and events.

Ampney Brook Farm is a local organic and regenerative farm producing 100% grass-fed beef, population and heritage grains and no-dig fruit, vegetables and salads. Annie oversees the farm and market garden as well as relationships with millers, butchers, brewers and restaurateurs, and will share her insights into the sector. 

Rachel is passionate about growing high nutrition produce in a sustainable way and marketing it to the local community, and will highlight how the Zerodig site works.

Advanced registration is required, reserve your free place now at https://farm491.com/events/croissants-questions-290525/

Saturday, 31 May

1994 Class Reunion

Are you part of the Class of 1994? Please get in touch with us for your 30th Reunion. Plans are underway including dinner and dancing! Email alumni@rau.ac.uk for more information. 
 

180th Lecture Series ~ Globalisation and Empire

The second 180th anniversary lecture will take place on Wednesday 11 June 2025 in the Boutflour Hall, at the Royal Agricultural University, delivered by Professor Mark Horton, RAU Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise, and historian William Dalrymple.

Discussing Professor Horton's 40 years of archaeological and historical research, their conversation will take us from the shores of Madagascar, Zanzibar, and Sri Lanka, to the Vikings, Panama, the Caribbean, and Virginia, and will help to explain why historical archaeology is so important in discovering the origins of the modern world.

Professor Horton has conducted archaeological research since 1980s in East Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and America. His research has included investigating the ancient origins of the maritime silk road, how crops and animals were dispersed across Eurasia, and the pioneer colonies established by Europeans during the 16th and 17th centuries.

William Dalrymple is a prolific author on Indian history, colonialism, and empire, and his most recent book, The Golden Road, explores the profound influence of India on the ancient world.

Tickets and parking are free. Visit this link to book on Eventbrite.

180th Lecture Series ~ Dancing with Daffodils

The third 180th anniversary lecture will take place on Wednesday 16 July 2025 in the Kenneth Russell room, at the Royal Agricultural University. The lecture delivered by Kevin Stephens, along with Xianmin Chang, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (China Programmes) at Royal Agricultural University, is to explore the pitfalls and opportunities of developing new commercial markets for field scale crops, using the development story of hill farm production of daffodils to provide bio-active compounds to the pharma and ag-chem industries.

Prof Chang has more than 40 years' research experience and, in the last two decades, his research has focused on growing daffodils for alkaloids for human health. Working closely with pharmaceutical companies - in particular with Kevin Stephens at Agroceutical Products Ltd (APL), his research projects include daffodil material screening, genetic analysis, planting, and alkaloid extraction, isolation and purification. So far, more than 500 alkaloids have been identified and one of these, Galanthamine, is now being used to the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Kevin Stephens has more than 20 years' experience managing development projects across commercial and public sectors, combining his agricultural background with expertise in chemical engineering, an MBA, and an MSc in International Management and Finance. His diverse portfolio includes projects in natural products, engineering, and alternative energy, such as wool applications, waste plastic conversion, and green chemistry innovations.

Come along to hear their stories and how research in daffodils plays an important role into our future.

Tickets and parking are free. Visit this link to book on Eventbrite.

180th Lecture Series ~ Our Future in the Land

The fourth 180th anniversary lecture will take place on Wednesday 10 September 2025 in the Boutflour Hall, at the Royal Agricultural University, delivered by Sue Pritchard is Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and Tom MacMillan, Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy and Strategy at the Royal Agricultural University.

Behind our virtual realities of Zoom meetings and AI assistants, the world depends more critically than ever on how we use the land. This is because land is under unprecedented pressure. In the UK and globally, we need more from the land – food, energy, wildlife, carbon sinks, housing – than there are acres to provide it. Unless, that is, we use it differently. How can better ways of making decisions, and new tools and approaches to managing land, help us find a way through?

Sue Pritchard is Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and an independent Governor of the RAU. The FFCC’s 2019 report, ‘Our Future in the Land’, recommended a national land use framework for England – a proposal accepted by the previous government that is now being implemented. 

Prof Tom MacMillan is Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy and Strategy at the RAU. He provided research support to the FFCC and is involved in an initiative at the RAU to support land use innovation. He is a trustee of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust.

Come along to learn more about the new tools and approaches to managing land and the impact this will have in the UK and globally.

Tickets and parking are free. Visit this link to book on Eventbrite.

1972-195 REM Grand 50th Reunion

Are you part of this cohort? Please get in touch with us for your 50th Grand Reunion. Plans include a lovely drinks reception and dinner. Email alumni@rau.ac.uk for more information.

Wednesday, 22 October 6:00pm to 8:00pm

180th Lecture Series ~ Making Farming Buzz Again

The fifth 180th anniversary lecture will take place on Wednesday 22 October 2025 in the Boutflour Hall, at the Royal Agricultural University, delivered by Ann Conquest of Land Use Consultant (LUC), Associate Director, Rural Land Management and Duncan Westbury, Dean of Land and Property Management at the Royal Agricultural University.

Ann has over 20 years' experience in implementing and designing Agri-Environment schemes, having previously worked for Natural England. Ann has a proven track record of effective partnerships working to find effective solutions to challenging situations. She has worked extensively with farmers, NGOs, Local Authorities and large landowners and estates on a wide range of projects, aiming to benefit people, nature and the rural economy. 

Professor Duncan Westbury joined the Royal Agricultural University in September 2023 after over 12 years at the University of Worcester and nine years at the University of Reading. He has a very strong background in applying ecological principles to habitat creation and management, with specific research experience on the management of agroecosystems to support biodiversity whilst simultaneously supporting ecosystem services within agricultural landscapes.

Come along to learn what is being done to making farming buzz again, enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in agriculture landscapes.

Tickets and parking are free. Visit this link to book on Eventbrite.

180th Lecture Series ~ Water, Wastewater, Everywhere... Every drop counts!

The sixth and final 180th anniversary lecture will take place on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at the Royal Agricultural University.