A mother and son duo from Castle Cary have been studying the same course, the Level 3 Countryside Management at Bridgwater College’s Cannington Centre.

Ethan and Rebecca Woodgate share a similar passion for the countryside, which became apparent when Ethan started his course at the College and his mum, Rebecca, wanted to further her knowledge of the area. Though a year apart, Ethan will complete his two year course next month, whilst Rebecca will continue her studies at the College next year.

Ethan, who will continue his studies in Hampshire next year, specialising in Game said,

“I’ve always had an interest in the countryside, and after completing my GCSEs I enrolled on the Level 3 Countryside Management course to gain a wider perspective of the industry, and to assist me with moving into game-keeping and estate management longer term.”

Rebecca added,

“Having lived and worked in the countryside, and having a passion for conservation and rural affairs, I jumped at the chance to further my knowledge, especially when Ethan shared his positive experience of his first year at College with me. As my children are older it was a perfect opportunity to return to study and follow my son, although a year behind! I did check with Ethan how he felt about mum applying for the course, but he was 100% supportive, and it has worked out very well. We can car-share, compare notes and discuss assignments whilst both working with our own year groups.”

Alan Sinclair, Associate Lecturer in Land and Environmental Management at Bridgwater College said,

“It’s not unusual to have family members studying together such as brothers and sisters, but to have a mother and son on the same course at the same time is definitely a little different. Both Ethan and Rebecca have a great work ethic, completing high quality assignment work and also supporting the industry with regular volunteering for various local conservation organisations, such as Somerset Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Butterfly Conservation and Carymoor Environmental Trust.”

If you would like more information about studying Countryside Management at Bridgwater College please contact our Information and Guidance team on 01278 441234.