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Passionate communicator for the environment wins prestigious award

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The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Bishop Graham Usher, presents Tom Ewin with his award. Picture courtesy of the Diocese of Norwich

A Harper Adams University student has been named the 2025 winner of a prestigious environment award.

Tom Ewin, 20, of Hoxne, near Diss, was presented with the Bishop of Norwich Sustainable Environment Young Employee of the Year Award by the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher at the Royal Norfolk Show.

BSc (Hons) Environmental Land Management student Tom, 20, wins £1,000 and a big boost to his fledgling career in farming and conservation. He is the second Harper Adams student in succession to win the award, which was secured by fellow Environmental Land Management student Bea White in 2024.

Judges called Tom: “A passionate communicator for the environment, a young man with both practical and theoretical skills and, perhaps the most important of all, an ability to communicate his passion to a wide range of people.

“It is clear to see his love of the environment, but he is also able to see the bigger picture, balancing the needs of landowners, wildlife conservationists and environmentalists as well as agriculture and the challenges of preserving space for nature.”

The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, who is the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment, said: “Tom is a worthy winner. He focuses on finding ways to balance the needs of wildlife with our need for agriculture, crops and food security. His understanding of the importance of making space for the wonders of the natural world, alongside the vital work of growing food, is a reason to hope that every harvest can be a celebration of crops, conservation and the God-given glory of creation.”

Tom has spent the past year with Norfolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (Norfolk FWAG - a not-for-profit organisation run by farming and conservation specialists) as part of his degree course in environmental land management.

During his placement year Tom worked on woodland and soil management plans, tree planting schemes, natural flood management and habitat surveys, and led a DEFRA-funded deer management project which will be developed and continued.

Talking about his placement, Tom said: “Placement has been a brilliant opportunity to put everything I’ve learned at Harper into practice, while also developing my practical and technical skills further.

“It’s been varied and incredibly rewarding, especially when engaging with farmers and landowners to improve their farm business environmentally.”

He hopes to pursue a career combining agriculture and conservation and said: “I feel incredibly honoured to have won this this award. There are so many people doing amazing things for the environment, so to be recognized like this is really motivating.”

Tom said that growing up in the beautiful Waveney valley planted the seeds of his passion for the environment, agriculture and conservation.

His grandfather farms near Attleborough and Tom said: “I wasn’t involved in the day-to-day agricultural side growing up, but I was brought up in the countryside, surrounded by wildlife, field sports and farming. In more recent years, I’ve taken on more farm work and become more engaged with that side of things.

“I’ve always had a passion for both wildlife and agriculture.

“We need to protect our food security and keep producing crops so it’s finding the balance to make it work for the farmer and the wildlife.”

Speaking about his time at University, he added: “I have loved my time at Harper Adams; it’s been a brilliant experience both academically and socially.

“The quality of teaching is outstanding, and the strong sense of community has made my time here incredibly enjoyable and rewarding - although I have loved my placement, I am really looking forward to getting back for my fourth year in September.”

The annual Bishop of Norwich Sustainable Environment Young Employee of the Year Award is run with the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association and judged by its education arm The Food and Farming Trust.

It is open to young employees and apprentices working for a Norfolk-based employer and focusing on land management, conservation, countryside management, ecology, climate change management, forestry management or horticulture.