A HORTICULTURE student will compete in a regional contest.
Ben Walker, of East Durham College, will take part in the regional final of the Institute of Horticulture’s Young Horticulturalist of the Year competition at Shipley College, West Yorkshire, in March.
The 23-year-old, from Pittington, near Durham, qualified by finishing second in the local heat, held at East Durham College’s Houghall campus, near Durham.
The winner, Damian Unsworth, is unfortunately unable to take part in the regional final, the winner of which will reach the grand final, to be held in Dublin in May.
Mr Walker will be quizzed on horticulture and take part in a Mastermind-style challenge on the subject.
Chris Parsons won the national title in 2014 while a student at Houghall.
Lecturer Dave Scott said: “Students from Houghall have done well in this competition in the past and it’s great to see our current students show great enthusiasm for it.
“We would love to have another student win the national title.”
The competition offers prizes worth more than £10,000.
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