Industry specialists, researchers and staff – past and present – gathered at Warwick’s Wellesbourne campus on 18 December to mark 70 years of crop research on the site.

The meeting heard from a range of speakers who relayed past successes and described work on future developments. Invited keynote speaker and expert in food policy, Professor Tim Lang, spoke about the importance of vegetables in the UK and Sue Kennedy from Elsoms Seeds gave a commercial perspective on vegetable genetics and breeding – past, present and future.

Over 200 business and organisation leaders from across the West Midlands gathered in Birmingham on Friday morning at the fifth anniversary Coventry and Warwickshire Champions meeting, hearing from leaders of key regional organisations, including Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor and President Stuart Croft, on how collaboration across the region is critical to raise its profile.