STUDENTS GO WILDEBEEST TRACKING IN SOUTH AFRICA

The large game reserve is home to cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, rhino and more than 300 species of birds.

The students, who were also joined by six students from Merrist Wood College in Guildford, learned how to identify and track an animal through measuring the stride length, movement and gait of a footprint, and how to spot signs of animal activity through assessing vegetation and dung.

The students successfully completed either level one or two of the CATHSSETA Cyber Tracking certificate, an internationally recognised wildlife tracking qualification.

Sophie Hands, 20, from Redditch who studies Animal Behaviour and Training, said: “From learning how to track animals to seeing rhinos, giraffes and wildebeests in the wild, the trip was such a rewarding and enrichening experience.

Students from Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire have gained a unique wildlife tracking qualification after completing a residential trip to the South African bush.

Ten higher education students from the college, part of WCG (Warwickshire College Group), went on the wildlife tracking trip of a lifetime to Dinokeng Game Reserve in the Limpopo region of South Africa.

The group of four BSc Animal Behaviour students and six BSc Canine Therapy and Rehabilitation students camped in the park – immersing themselves in the South African landscape.

NOHM strikes deal at historic Warwickshire venue

Growing hospitality management business NOHM has landed a new partnership with a historic venue, which has links to royalty and literature.

Coventry-based No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM) has been selected to grow the conference and events business at Stoneleigh Abbey, the site of 12th century Cistercian monastery, in Warwickshire.

Stoneleigh Abbey, now a stately home, proved fit for royalty in 1858 when Queen Victoria stayed for two nights, while the building provided inspiration for Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park. For 400 years Stoneleigh Abbey was home to Jane’s maternal relatives, the Leigh family.

NOHM, which was launched in 2021, manages Coombe Abbey Hotel in the same region, as well as eateries, artisan markets and florists across Coombe Abbey and War Memorial Parks. Other venues include St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry’s Cathedral Quarter, the on-site restaurant, Tales of Tea, and IXL Events Centre, where the company is also a

“The trip has really opened my eyes to the possibility of a career in conservation, and the skills developed in South Africa will support me in my course at Warwickshire College and University Centre (WCUC).” partner on the corporate business side.

IXL in Southam is managed by CEO, Atul Lakhani who also founded Sanjay Foods, a catering and events management business.