The Thomas Henry Foundation

The Thomas Henry Foundation

The Foundation was created in 1847 under the terms of the will of Thomas Henry, a merchant in Downpatrick, Co Down. The principal objective of the Foundation is to promote agricultural science, innovation and good farming practice in Northern Ireland.

To this end the Foundation supports those engaged within the agricultural sector in Northern Ireland, primarily working farmers, who engage upon courses with the objective of advancing agricultural knowledge for the benefit of farmers and growers. 

The Thomas Henry Foundation provides an annual scholarship awarded by the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust to encourage the interchange and development of knowledge in the science and practice of agriculture as well as the development of personal skills and leadership. 

The Foundation also provides financial assistance to a number of appropriate agricultural organisations within Northern Ireland.

 

Scholars Sponsored

Only most recent are listed.

  • 2024

    Cormac White

    Having been born and raised in Belfast, a career in agriculture was an unlikely path but a winding one through Veterinary Medicine led to a passion for the agricultural industry and sustainable food...

  • 2023

    Jonny Hanson

    Based in Northern Ireland, Jonny works at the intersection of conservation, agriculture and enterprise. Raised between Co. Monaghan, Ireland, and Malawi, Africa, he spent summer holidays working on...

  • 2021

    Gary Thompson

    I manage an Autumn calving dairy herd of 190 cows, with renewable energy generated onsite also. I am involved in various organizations within the agriculture industry, including the dairy coop, farmer...

  • 2020

    Gary Spence

    I grew up on a dairy farm in Kilkeel, Co. Down which transitioned to beef and crops which is currently farmed in a partnership between my father and I. I studied Agriculture Technology at Queen’s University Belfast and CAFRE Greenmount which included placements in Devenish Nutrition and with Fields of Life Uganda.
  • 2019

    Mark Little

    I grew up on a mixed dairy and suckler cow farm in County Fermanagh, where my family continue to farm. I attended Portora Royal School, Eniskillen and then studied veterinary medicine at University College Dublin, graduating in 2002. I worked in three veterinary practices in County Tyrone and Armagh, where my focus was on herd health and routine farm visits.
  • 2018

    Barry J O'Boyle

    I grew up in South Antrim on my family dairy farm located on the northern Shores of Lough Neagh. I have been involved in the farm most of my life, and came back to farm full time when I was 15 years old.
  • 2017

    Jude McCann

    For over four years now, I have been privileged to work as Chief Executive for Rural Support in Northern Ireland. Established as a charity in 2002, Rural Support is a regional charity providing...

“The Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust enables us to fulfil our objectives successfully on a larger scale than we can in the Province. It enables Scholars to access expertise and ideas from around the world which they can bring back, disseminate and apply locally. A Nuffield Scholarship also develops communication and life skills which Scholars use to positively influence progress within our farming industry.”

The Thomas Henry Foundation