We are thrilled to announce the opening of our brand-new multi-purpose facility, the AgriFood Centre

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our brand-new multi-purpose facility, the AgriFood Centre, based within the heart of our 2,500 acre campus near Lewes.

To officially launch the AgriFood Centre we are hosting the South East Future of Farming event on Thursday 20th April 2023 in partnership with CLA and Virgin Money. This event is designed for farmers and landowners from across the region to look at driving productivity and profitability in a sustainable way. 

Attendees will hear from keynote speakers who will share their own stories and bring to life how they have invested in technology, regenerative practices and/or people in doing so.  We aim to show that British farmers can be global leaders. For more information about the event, or to register for your free ticket, click here.  

 

The striking £10m building was developed to host and connect rural communities and businesses across the South East for training, education, networking and events, while providing the Agriculture, Food and wider land management industries with up-to-date skills, training and support. 

 

With outstanding views of the estate, the site offers flexible teaching, conference & exhibition space, state-of-the-art training kitchens, and extensive catering facilities. Locally sourced coffee and snacks, including cakes, bread and pastries produced by our bakery apprentices are served in the on-site Graze Café.  

The highest sustainability standards have been at the heart of the project, which carries a BREAM rating of excellence. Our enhanced planting schemes in partnership with Sussex Wildlife Trust mean that new habitats will thrive on our campus and increase the biodiversity we have across our estate. 

Plumpton College was awarded £4.4 million for the innovative project from partners including East Sussex County Council, Virgin Money, HM Government, South East Local Enterprise Partnership and The Wolfson Foundation.  

 

What's most exciting is that it is already being used for multiple purposes and is available to hire for meetings, events and conferences. Here's just a few examples of what's been happening in the last month! 

 

The three teaching spaces are already in full use for our degree students and we've hosted an Open Event to promote our university courses, another one of which is planned for Saturday 17th June.