First Class Honours...

On the 13th July 2014 I opened my heart to the world and told a story I had been hiding for several months and unknowingly, years. It's time to leave, It's time for a change. Many of you have followed my journey from the start and an even greater amount of you have joined me along the way. When I initially shared my story I was questioned as to why I had done it? The most memorable question was, was it for attention? The short answer was, and still is, no. Alternatively the long answer has been something I have been exploring, developing and building upon for the last six years.

On the 17th July 2020, after a stressful few weeks due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the day I had been waiting for, been feeling extremely nervous about, but desperate to finally hear had arrived. It took five years to complete. Five hugely tiring, emotional draining but immensely driven years which had now resulted in the goal I had so desperately been wanting to achieve.

Hannah Wright - BSc (Hons) in Agriculture. FIRST CLASS HONOURS.

Now this qualification and piece of paper doesn't officially make me a farmer. I'm very aware that this is only just the beginning and I have a lot more yet to learn. I've said it from the start and I continue to say it every year I embrace a new experience within this fast paced world of farming, that my journey is only now just beginning. As far as I am concerned I have literally just been winging it for the past six years and I aim to continue winging it if it means I can keep learning, discovering and growing as an individual within this industry I have come to love so much.

I've learnt that farming is not just about trying to make a living. It's about producing one of the key resources we all need which is food for the households all over the world. It's about meeting new people, making friends for life and in the process sharing each others skills and knowledge. It's about building strong communities who have their own individual reasons to love the environment in which they live and work. It's about standing in the middle of a field in the pouring down rain or three foot of snow with livestock needing your care and attention with the mindset and dedication to just get the job done. Why? Because it's what we do best. It's what we love and it's who the nation need on a daily basis in order to survive. 

There have been so many kindhearted and knowledgeable men and women who have helped me so far and I already know that I will encounter a vast amount more in the future. I am overwhelmingly grateful for all the inspiring and motivational characters who have taught me the skills I need to get this far, who have taken their time to share their stories, their wisdom and who in return have listened to mine. Be they young or old, large scale or small scale, rich or poor, they are the people I will always remember and forever be in debt to for the time and patience they have spent with me to help me reach and achieve this goal.

So to answer the question why I shared my story back in July 2014. There is someone out there who is feeling exactly the same as how I felt six years ago. They could even be reading this blog post right now. I want them to know that if I could get through it, then so can they. More importantly than that, I want to become and be the person I needed when I was younger. Someone who can pass on whatever skills and know-how I have learnt to someone else who may not feel like they are good enough or valued enough but who have a dream to work within this amazing industry. For the people  who have encountered negativity to the point that it has affected their self worth and they are unsure what route to take next. It's for those people who are scared to take the leap in case someone tells them they can't do it. I want to be the person who tells them they can because I came, I did and I have achieved.

2014 - I quit my job, bought a ticket and travelled to the other side of the world to live and work on a dairy farm in New Zealand.

2015 - I returned home after 7 months away but still couldn't settle so continued my agricultural work experience in West Wales and Scotland (seasonally lambing for a number of years). Got myself a new job working in one section of the agricultural industry as well as starting an Agricultural degree part time.

2017 - Changed jobs but remained within the agricultural industry. A job which I could work with farmers as well as broaden my knowledge on UK farming systems and where I am still working today.

2018 - Completed and gained a Foundation degree in Agriculture and decided to top it up to a full degree over a couple more years, all whilst working full time. I purchased my own small flock of sheep to start putting into practice what I had been learning since 2014.

2019 - Got to travel to New Zealand again and visit numerous farming businesses on a three week tour.

2020 - Completed my Bachelor of Science with Honours in Agriculture with a First Class Honours.

Throughout the six years - Meeting, networking, learning from other organisations who could help me including National Sheep Association, Farming Connect, AHDB, Wales YFC, HCC along with many many more. I have listened to a diverse range of specialist speakers all over the UK and enjoyed every single minute of it.

Never the less, I still encounter negative people on a weekly basis who question the reasons why I do what I do. Does it bother me, Yes. Will it stop me, No.

My life. My way.

H x