Scarlets, Wales and British & Irish Lion Wyn Jones was the guest of honour at the annual Aberystwth University Agricultural Student awards.
Wyn is an alumni of the university having graduated from Aberystwyth with a BSc in Agriculture & Animal Science in 2013.
Following the event at the university campus, Wyn said: “It’s nice to be back, it’s been roughly 10 years since I graduated from Aberystwyth so to be invited back, seeing all the familiar faces and what has changed is great. It’s a huge honour to be here and give a bit back to a place that did so much for me when I was a student. On a personal note Scarlets and Aberystwyth are definitely two places that are close to my heart so it’s nice to see both partnering together to promote the future of Welsh agriculture and rugby.”
The evening of celebration invited the Agriculture students of Aberystwyth to celebrate their achievements and provided lecturers with the opportunity to award and merit select students from the course.
Wyn spoke and answered questions from the students about balancing his rugby career and his family farm which specialises in cattle and ewes.
Professor Iain Barber, Head of the Department of Life Sciences, welcomed Wyn back to the university, saying: “We love to see our former students succeed in whatever they choose and Wyn has shown that not only can excel in a sport but you can also retain that real interest in the subject as well.
“As we know he’s still really interested in agriculture and the way he’s marrying both the rugby and the agricultural side together whilst supporting what’s going on in the campus is fantastic. The university’s partnership with the Scarlets has been important in many ways but especially in this subject thanks to Scarlets’ support for Welsh agriculture and the use of Welsh beef.”
Congratulations to the award winning students.
Photo courtesy of Kara Knowler-Davies from Aberystwyth University.