Twenty-year-old Alice Fawcett is currently carrying out an apprenticeship with H&H Land & Estates as she works towards becoming a qualified Chartered Surveyor.
As it continues to support and nurture the next generation of talent, H&H Land & Estates has announced the appointment of 20-year-old Alice Fawcett as Apprentice Rural Surveyor and Fields Person for Harrison& Hetherington.
Alice will be based in the Carlisle office of H&H Land & Estates. Her five-year training programme includes a part-time undergraduate degree at Harper Adams University and a two-year APC training programme.
In her role as a Fields Person she works on the yard at the Kirkby Stephen and Middleton-in-Teesdale marts. She is from a farming family, based at Argill House near Kirkby Stephen. Alice helped with taking the family’s sheep to the mart there from a very young age, and she has worked with Harrison & Hetherington since 2019.
She explains, “After I’d finished school, I headed off to Harper Adams to do a degree in Agriculture, I completed my first year, but realised that the traditional route was not for me. I decided that I wanted to work alongside studying, so I was delighted to be offered this opportunity with H&H Land & Estates.”
H&H Land & Estates offers a broad range of land agency services, including help with AMC applications and property valuation, as well as significant expertise in Common Land, mines and minerals, environmental conservation, and woodland schemes.
The company prides itself on the work it does to educate and develop new entrants into the profession. It regularly employs Harper Adams students for work placements, many of whom return to work with them full time after completing their degree.
Thomas Armstrong, Director at H&H Land & Estates, comments, “We are delighted that Alice has chosen this path, and we are keen to help her achieve her goals. We are committed to developing the next generation and giving them opportunities. They are the future of our industry.”
As part of her apprenticeship Alice will be given on-the-job training to coincide with her studies, to ensure all the required knowledge and experience is obtained to help her successfully qualify as a Chartered Surveyor with an MRICS qualification.
“Looking to the long-term future, I would like to continue to farm, however I need to be realistic, and farming needs to dovetail with my career. That is why I opted for an apprenticeship. I feel that by becoming a chartered surveyor, I can utilise my passion for farming to connect with and understand farmers and landowners. I want to see things from both points of view, to offer the best service I can,” adds Alice.
At home, she helps manage the family’s flock of 350 Swaledale ewes - which produces half pure Swaledale lambs and half North of England Mules - and is especially keen on preparing sheep for sale. The farm is also home to a herd of 35 suckler cows.
Alice concludes: “Throughout my work with H&H Land & Estates so far, I am really enjoying learning about the stewardship side and getting to know the new schemes and opportunities for farmers. It’s also very interesting to see the business side of farming and see what is available to farmers to help them invest in their farms.
“I’m so glad I went with my gut and opted for a different pathway into a career as a chartered surveyor and am very grateful to H&H Land & Estates for offering me this opportunity to work and study simultaneously. I know the industry experience will be invaluable and will give me a head start in establishing my career once I gain my qualifications.”
With a highly specialised understanding of the land and property sector across the breadth of the north of England and the Scottish Borders, H&H Land & Estates have a well-regarded reputation across the region. The leading agency have a well-established client base across offices in Carlisle, Cockermouth, Durham, Kendal, Keswick, and Penrith.