A TRAINEE land agent and farmer from Northwich has been awarded a coveted scholarship worth £12,000.

Comberbach resident Edward Wilkinson has been selected as the 2013 Country Land and Business Association Charitable Trust (CLACT) scholar.

The award is offered to first year students on the BSc or FdSC Rural Enterprise and Land Management (REALM) course at Harper Adams University in Shropshire.

Eighteen-year-old Ed, from a 120-head dairy farm, said: “I feel honoured and delighted to have been selected for the scholarship.

“I am already enjoying and finding the course very interesting and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

The former Weaverham High School and Sir John Deane's College student added: "Harper Adams has a very high standard of teaching and facilities and the reputation of the university has built and is continuing to build on, will aid me in terms of my future prospects.

"This scholarship will help me even further to make a positive impact in land management."

As part of this competitive award, Ed will receive £4,000 each academic year, paid in two equal instalments.

The scholarship is presented once every two years.