A set of valuable journals, textbooks and reports about animal health, from a collection built up over 80 years, has been generously gifted to the Harper & Keele Veterinary School.

The Animal Health Trust Library has, thanks to the generosity of its former Deputy President, The Lord Kirkham CVO, been relocated to the Harper Adams University campus, where it will be known as The Lord Kirkham Collection from The Animal Health Trust.

A display featuring items from the collection will be housed in the new Veterinary Education Centre at Harper Adams, recognising the work of the Animal HealthTrust. The remainder of the collection will be managed by The Bamford Library at Harper Adams, to allow students studying veterinary medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and biosciences to benefit from an extensive and rare collection.

The collection began when the AHT was founded by Dr W.R. Wooldridge FRCVS in 1942. Housed initially in the Equine Research Station at Balaton Lodge in Newmarket, it moved to Lanwades Park in 1997 where it remained until the institute closed in May 2020.

Commenting on the gift, Lord Kirkham said: “I have been associated with the Animal Health Trust since 1990 and I have very many happy memories. I was deeply saddened when it had to close last year but am so pleased that the library can live on in this exciting new veterinary school.”

The Founding Head of the Harper & Keele Veterinary School, Dr Matt Jones said: “It is wonderful for the School to receive such a very generous gift from Lord Kirkham and for the students and staff at a new vet school to have such ready access to a historical collection.

“I am extremely grateful to Dr Andrew Higgins, former Director of AHT, for his help in negotiating the donation of the Library and we are proud to be continuing this important part of Wooldridge’s vision at Harper & Keele.”