AN agriculture student from Shebbear has been honoured for her outstanding performance on placement while studying at Harper Adams University College.

Katie Dymond, 21, was awarded the Natwest Placement Award first prize of £250 for her acheivements while on placement at RWM Food Group Ltd.

She was invited to an award ceremony at the University College to receive her award, alongside the second and third prize winners, and Andrew Lewis Trophy recipients.

Katie said: 'I'm a bit overwhelmed really, I didn't think that I would get it, but I did, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped me to achieve it.'

The award was presented by Ian Hardcastle, head of agriculture at NatWest. He said: 'This year we had seven finalists and we looked in detail at the experiences that they encountered while on placement particularly from a business angle.

'This is my first year judging and I was unsure of what to expect, but what I found was that I was really impressed with the quality and level of appreciation that they have from being on placement.'