Lolly Hamlin, who joined the Englefield Estate in June 2024 as a Graduate Rural Surveyor, has been awarded a bursary by the Central Association for Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) to attend the Oxford Farming Conference in January 2025.

Lolly, who is a probationary member of the Berkshire and Oxfordshire Rural Valuers Association, also receives additional training as part of her bursary and will attend networking engagements at the conference.

She trained as a surveyor at the Royal Agricultural University at Cirencester after winning a scholarship. It was awarded for her academic excellence and her sporting prowess as a long-distance runner and horse rider specialising in eventing.

Before joining the Englefield Estate, she worked for two years in London in financial services and estate agency.

Lolly said she had always intended to follow a career in rural land management but wanted to spend some time living and working in the capital first. She was in Australia working on behalf of a previous employer when she found out about the job at Englefield and had her first interview online, before flying back to the UK.

She says of the Estate and her role: “It is very varied – and the Estate is very large with a lot of tenants and staff members to get to know. There is a real sense of the concern for sustainability and the wider environmental picture here and taking issues around the environment extremely seriously.”

Lolly grew up in rural Dorset and was a keen runner and horsewoman, competing in both long distance runs and eventing.  She also worked as a groom for eventing Olympians, including New Zealand’s Bruce Haskell and Australia’s Lucinda Fredericks.

Lolly still enjoys equestrian activities, including polo, and is enjoying getting to know West Berkshire and meeting staff, agricultural tenants and residents in and around the Estate. 

She is looking forward to her attendance at the Oxford Farming Conference, considered the premier agricultural business event of the year.  It takes place from January 8th to January 10th on the theme of Facing Change, Finding Opportunity.

The conference always attracts major speakers from the agricultural and land management industries and is a must-attend event for specialists in farming and land management.

This year’s speakers include Environment Secretary Steve Reed, Henry Dimbleby, author and campaigner on food and farming issues, Jim Fairlie, the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity in the Scottish Government and Huw Irranca-Davies, the Welsh Government’s Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.

Also addressing conference will be Professor Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy at Oxford University and former chair of the National Capital Committee along with many farmers, food producers and experts on the environment, business, food and energy.

Lolly has been asked to give a presentation on her experience of the conference to the Berkshire and Oxfordshire Rural Valuers Association Winter Technical Meeting and will also be reporting back to her colleagues at Englefield.

Englefield’s Estates Director, Edward Crookes said: “Lolly’s selection by the organisation that represents professional valuers and surveyors to attend the Oxford Farming Conference is a reflection of her skills and potential and we are very pleased she has been recognised in this way.

“The conference is a significant event for rural estates, and we look forward to hearing from Lolly on the issues raised at what is a crucial time for farming and land management.”