Congratulations to Hartpury student for winning NGO award

An 18-year-old student from Hartpury College has won the Musto-sponsored National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) Frank Jenkins Memorial Trophy

An 18-year-old student from Hartpury College has won the Musto-sponsored National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) Frank Jenkins Memorial Trophy, which goes to the best full- or part-time gamekeeping student of the year.

The late Frank Jenkins was a well-known gamekeeper whose career spanned 60 years, and the award is judged annually by senior members of the NGO.

The winner of this year’s trophy, the “outstanding gamekeeping student” Cormac Thompson, completed his full-time Gamekeeping and Countryside Management course at Hartpury in Gloucester this summer, and now runs the college’s commercial game shoot.

Cormac was presented with the industry-leading award by the Chairman of the NGO, Liam Bell, on the NGO stand at the Midland Game Fair, held from 17-18 September at Weston Park in Shropshire. He also received a voucher for a new Musto Highland Ultra Light Jacket, courtesy of the trophy’s sponsors.

Speaking about his success, Cormac said: “I am delighted to have won the Frank Jenkins. It is a great honour and I’d like to thank the NGO and Musto.

“I think qualifications are essential for anyone starting out in keepering. It is the way the world is going. I want to thank the college, especially my course lecturers Robbie Nicolle, Andy James and Ralph Tallis. A big thank you also to Robert Mitchell at North Molton in Devon, the shoot where I did my pre-college placement and learned such a lot.”