Duncan takes the top job

Newport and District Agricultural Society has named Harper Adams University IT specialist Duncan Gunn-Russell as its new president.

Duncan, who is service delivery AV co-ordinator at the University, is set to take up the role of president at the Society for the coming year – with his eyes already firmly fixed on making the 2024 Newport Show the best yet.

Born and bred in Shropshire, both Duncan’s father and brother were agricultural contractors, with his father also running an agricultural hardware premises in Shifnal.

With farming in his blood, he joined the Newport Young Farmers Club in the early 1980s, representing them in national debating competitions before moving to London, where he trained as an audio-visual specialist.

Duncan now puts his AV skills to use at Harper Adams University, and with his home on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border surrounded by fields, woodland, livestock and poultry, he soon found himself tempted back towards helping out at the Newport Show.

He said: “It is an honour to have been elected as this year’s president, a role which I take extremely seriously, and I am looking forward to another amazing year at the Newport Show on July 13, 2024.”

Pictured: Duncan Gunn-Russell