A ground breaking ceremony has been held for SMB College Group’s £18 million campus development at Brooksby, which will bring some of the best agricultural equipment and facilities to Leicestershire.
In attendance at the ceremony were representatives from Tilbury Douglas and Gleeds, in addition to SMB College Group delegates including Dawn Whitemore (principal and CEO), Jason Spencer (assistant principal for estates), James Fryer (director of land-based and farm) and Andy Graham (director of campus).
Also present were four Level 3 Animal Management students, Amelia, Amelia, Noah and Leah, who were in attendance to represent the college’s Brooksby Campus students.
The Department for Education funded project will bring a brand new state-of-the-art agri-tech centre to Brooksby, featuring equipment such as GIS software for field and yield mapping, virtual learning environments, purpose-built labs, drones, and robotics – all of which will benefit students and apprentices studying a range of qualifications at the specialist land-based campus.
There are also additional buildings, including a new refectory and student services area.
Dawn Whitemore, principal and CEO of SMB College Group, said: “I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to watch this project come to fruition. This is a truly transformational project for our Brooksby Campus, and we are incredibly pleased to have the opportunity to remain at the forefront of the Land-based sector with this welcomed investment.
“It was an honour to officially ‘break the ground’ and I look forward to watching the developments as the building work progresses.”
James Fryer, director of farm and grounds, added: “This is such an exciting new chapter for our Brooksby Campus. This investment will put us on the Land-based map and will allow us to use state-of-the-art precision farming techniques to educate many future generations of Agriculture and Land-based students.
“With September 2025 seeing the re-introduction of Level 2 Horticulture and the launch of our brand new T-Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production, it is a very exciting time to become an SMB College Group land-based student!”
