Posted: 10th June 2020 | Back to news feed
Moreton Morrell College, which is part of WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group), is a UK and International leader in the development and delivery of equine courses. This month, the College reaches its momentous 70th anniversary and to celebrate, the college is asking everyone to share their fondest memories of their time at Moreton Morrell, whether as a student or member of staff.
The College was among the first agricultural colleges to be established by the Government after the Second World War, to help get the country back to food self-sufficiency. Set over 750 acres, it has since evolved into an internationally recognised countryside campus, with a working farm, equine and animal centres and other specialist land-based learning facilities.
Clifford Mitchell, a retired lecturer at Moreton Morrell College, spent his entire working life there. He joined in 1971 and went on to teach a variety of subjects full-time for 40 years, before retiring in 2015. Clifford recalled: “When I joined, there was around 12 teaching staff for 45 students on two courses, plus day release classes. Principal George Jackson had the foresight to start the first equine study courses, largely due to requests from farmers who wanted their daughters, as well as their sons, to be educated in country matters.”
“The growth of these courses was exponential and culminated with Moreton Morrell becoming a clear leader in the rapidly growing equine education provision nationally. In fact, at one time, you would struggle to find an equine college anywhere in the UK without one or more Moreton Morrell alumni on the staff.”
“Moreton graduates went on to some high-flying jobs in and out of the equine industry. The first-ever equine degree graduation ceremony in Coventry Cathedral was a great event and set the scene for many years to come.”
“As it celebrates its 70th year, it’s nice to be able to look back and share the memories. I don’t think a lot of people perhaps realise how long it has been there and the important mark it has made.”
More recently, Enya Hughes was a student at the College: “I went to Moreton Morrell from 2017-2019 and it was the best experience of my life. I did both Level 1 and Level 2 Animal Welfare and made so many amazing memories, so many friends and discovered my love of animals. The staff are amazing, I wish I could come back and do it all over again!”
Lots of wonderful memories have been flooding into our social media pages, so do take a look at the College’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to enjoy sharing these with us. Or, if you have your own history, please do share images and stories of your time studying or working at Moreton Morrell College by emailing us on pr@warwickshire.ac.uk
Discover your future at Moreton Morrell College
If you’re considering a future in equine or animal management, Moreton Morrell College offers courses for school leavers, apprenticeships, degree courses and part-time land-based professional courses. The College also provides on-site residential accommodation and livery facilities for your horse, as well as a very popular and unique ‘Loan a Horse Scheme’, for those students who don’t own their own horse.
We’re holding an online Virtual Open Event to allow you to find out more about Moreton Morrell College on Thursday 18 June, from 5 - 7 pm.
There is no need to book for the event but to find out more visit our website or simply follow or like Moreton Morrell College on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and you’ll receive a notification at the start of the event. You can then just tune in to our Facebook Live Welcome and Q&A session to find out more and ask your questions until it closes at 7.00 pm.
If for any reason you can’t make it on the evening we’ll be keeping the online hub live for the coming weeks to allow everyone to access the details they need, but if you have any other questions or want to speak to our team about applying for a course with us, email our Admissions Team on info@wcg.ac.uk or call us on 0300 456 0049.
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