Ballymena and Ballymoney students receive Lakeland Dairies bursary

Students from Ballymena and Ballymoney have been named among six award recipients of the Lakeland Dairies 2026 Bursary Programme.

Harvey Kirk from Ballymena and Victoria Currie from Ballymoney were presented with bursary awards of £2,000 each by Liz Shouldice, Chief People Officer and Pat Shiels, Chief Strategy & Member Officer of Lakeland Dairies.

Lakeland Dairies Bursary recipient Victoria Currie from Ballymoney with her parents Robert and Cynthia and Liz Shouldice, Chief People Officer and Pat Shiels, Chief Strategy & Member Officer, Lakeland Dairies.

placeholder image — Lakeland Dairies Bursary recipient Victoria Currie from Ballymoney with her parents Robert and Cynthia and Liz Shouldice, Chief People Officer and Pat Shiels, Chief Strategy & Member Officer, Lakeland Dairies.

Harvey attended the awards with his parents, Paul and Sarah. He is studying Mechatronic Engineering and his father Paul works with Lakeland Dairies, Ballyrashane Creamery.

Victoria attended the awards with her parents Robert and Cynthia. She is studying Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at Harper and Keele Veterinary School in Staffordshire.

Lakeland Dairies Bursary recipient Harvey Kirk from Ballymena with his parents, Paul and Sarah, pictured with Liz Shouldice, Chief People Officer and Pat Shiels, Chief Strategy & Member Officer, Lakeland Dairies.

Now in its third year, the programme reflects the co-operative’s continued commitment to supporting its farming families and staff. Each of the six successful students receive £2,000 / €2,000 to support them in their studies.

The bursaries support students undertaking undergraduate or higher-level studies in disciplines relevant to Lakeland Dairies’ operations, including agricultural science, dairy science, engineering and related fields.

Congratulating the recipients, Liz Shouldice, Chief People Officer, said: “We are delighted to support six talented young people through this year’s bursary programme.

" Investing in young people from our farming families and staff is an important part of supporting the next generation and the future of our sector. We wish them every success as they continue their studies and take the next steps in their careers.”

The six awards were made to students from Counties Armagh, Antrim, Longford and Cavan. Lakeland Dairies is the largest dairy processing co-operative on the island of Ireland operating on a cross-border basis across 17 counties.