Ben Brilot, associate head of the Department of Animal and Agriculture, at Hartpury University, has been appointed as a trustee for the National Animal Welfare Trust.

The trust is one of the UK's top animal welfare charities, operating across the south of England in Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Cornwall, Essex and Hertfordshire. Founded by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection in 1971, it became an independent charity in 1971 and now operates five rehoming centres.

Ben will join several members on the board of trustees and will assist his fellow volunteers with ensuring the charity continues to use donations wisely and remains fit for purpose for the animals and people it serves.

The board is made up of individuals from a range of backgrounds, including marketing, financial services and accounting, project management and health and safety. Ben's expertise in animal behaviour and welfare will be useful as part of discussions around rehoming and wellbeing.

Ben Brilot said: "I'm really looking forward to joining the board of trustees at the National Animal Welfare Trust, a charity I've long admired for the work it carries out through its various activities and rehoming.

"As a passionate animal lover, I look forward to hopefully making a positive contribution, drawing on my experience of animal behaviour and science, to help the charity continue to meet its objectives."

Both staff and students at Hartpury are actively encouraged to participate in industry activities that support their professional development, while also having a positive real-world impact.

Hartpury University offers a range of college, undergraduate and postgraduate animal programmes, many with a strong specialism towards behaviour and welfare.

The BSc (Hons) animal behaviour and welfare has been designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the science behind animal behaviour, enabling them to apply this to real-world situations and ethical issues.

The MSc applied animal behaviour and welfare programme explores ethics, contemporary issues in animal welfare science and advances in animal behaviour. The aim is to produce well rounded individuals, ready for commercial or charitable employment, leadership and management.