ABP Youth Challenge Finalist Programme Trip to Brussels

On Wednesday 28th June, Mr Simspon and two of our Year 11 pupils, Frank Hanna and Edward McKay, headed off for three days to Belgium as part of the ABP Angus Youth Challenge finalist programme. The boys who won five Aberdeen Angus calves earlier this year are taking part in a 12 month skills development programme where they are researching an area within agriculture that is important to them. The trip gave the boys the opportunity to further their research and to also present their findings to NI Executive representatives in their offices in Brussels. The first stop was Lismullin Cookery School in Navan, where they received a masterclass in butchery from Duane from Kettyle Meats, followed by a demonstration on how to cook the perfect steak from an expert in the cookery school. The boys were then given the opportunity to prepare their own steak and compete against the other three schools in the competition. They were then treated to a steak dinner, provided by the cookery school staff. Next it was off to Dublin to depart for Brussels where they stayed in the accommodation in the Irish School in Leuven. The following morning they had an opportunity to give a practice run of their presentations. The pupils then departed for a tour of Belfurn Angus Farm, a farm that specialises in breeding some of the best and healthiest Aberdeen Angus cows in Europe. The pupils received a tour from the owner Patrick Vanderhaeghe and his son. They were also treated to freshly produced Angus burgers that were barbecued by Patrick’s wife. After the farm visit, the pupils were taken to the beautiful city of Bruge were they were able to enjoy a leisurely few hours taking in the sites and enjoying some of the local delicacies, particularly the world renowned Belgian chocolate. The following morning the pupils were taken to the EU quarters in Brussels were they received an informative presentation on the European Parliament and were given an insight into the goings on within this magnificent building. Once the tour was complete, the boys presented their research, along with the other three finalist schools, to the representatives from the NI Executive. They did a fantastic job and did both themselves and Down High School proud. The NI Executive were completely blown away by the level of expertise shown by each of the four schools. After a wonderful meal in The Portofino restaurant in Brussels, it was off to Brussels airport to depart for Dublin. This was an amazing experience, which gave both Frank and Edward the opportunity to showcase the hard work they have put into this extremely important project. The boys would like to thank Mrs McKee and Miss Garrett for all of their support and help throughout this year. They would also like to thank the ABP staff for this amazing opportunity and their ongoing support in this competition, and very much look forward to the final which will be held in October at the Eikon centre. The boys would also like to take this opportunity to ask for your continued support by following them on Instagram and Tiktok.