Learners and staff from Landmarks Specialist College are celebrating after bringing home 13 awards from this year’s Penistone Show.
The team from Apperknowle Farm travelled to the show on Saturday, entering animals and produce developed through Landmarks’ Animal Care and Horticulture provision.
It proved to be a successful day, with the Animal Care team entering three sheep and receiving three awards, while entries from the Horticulture team earned an impressive ten awards across a range of produce.
For those representing Animal Care, the journey to Penistone began closer to home at the Apperknowle Farm Sheep Show.
The event gave learners the opportunity to demonstrate their sheep handling skills, with the winners earning a place at Penistone Show and the chance to represent Landmarks in competition.
Connor Morgan, Daniel Alvey-Moult, Maddie Carr, Jed Lockley and Matty Finch went on to represent the college at Penistone, putting their skills into practice in a busy show environment and demonstrating professionalism throughout the day.
Rachael Stewart a tutor at Apperknowle farm said:
“We entered 17 categories this year and came away with two First, Six second and Two Third place prizes, which we are immensely proud of.
Taking our learners into the tent after judging and seeing their faces when they discovered what we had won was a great experience.
It showed them what great teamwork can achieve.”
Success at the show was not limited to Animal Care, with months of work by Landmarks’ Horticulture team recognised in the show tent.
“Preparation for Penistone Show starts with sowing the first seeds in Horticulture at Apperknowle Farm. Nurturing and growing those seeds into the final vegetables we enter is a huge team effort, from watering and transplanting to weeding, feeding and harvesting.”
That work saw the team enter 17 different categories, ranging from individual flowers and vegetables to the show’s knobbliest vegetable category. By the end of judging, Landmarks had secured two first-place, six second-place and two third-place awards.
For learners, however, the experience extended beyond what happened in the judging tent.
Animal Care and Horticulture at Apperknowle Farm provide opportunities to develop practical skills alongside wider skills for adulthood and employment. Events such as Penistone Show take that learning beyond the college environment, giving learners the chance to represent Landmarks and put their abilities to the test in competition.
Campus Manager Polly Archer believes experiencing both the successes and challenges that come with competition is an important part of that:
“Attending external events gives our learners something incredibly valuable: the opportunity to showcase their skills, represent their college and take real pride in what they have achieved in a genuine, real-world competitive environment.
Participation matters, but education must also prepare young people for the realities of life and employment. Learning how to strive for excellence, perform under pressure, celebrate success and respond positively to disappointment are all important parts of developing confident, resilient and ambitious young people.
The learners selected to represent the college earned that opportunity through the commitment, progress and determination they demonstrated throughout the 2025–26 academic year. Being chosen was an achievement in itself, and seeing them put their skills to the test and proudly represent the college was something we were immensely proud of.”
