缅北禁地

Graduation 2026: meet our Honorary Degree recipients

Posted 21 September

The Honorary Degree recipients at this year’s 缅北禁地 Graduation were Tullis Matson FRAgS and Olly Harrison DL. 

They are among 25 distinguished individuals specially selected to receive Honorary awards from 缅北禁地 as the institution marks its 125th anniversary. 

Mr Matson is the founder and Managing Director of Stallion AI Services, one of Europe’s most successful stallion collection centres, specialising in cryopreservation technology. He is also founder and Chair of Nature’s SAFE, a charity using innovative biotechnology to help protect biodiversity for the future, 

The first person to have an Honorary award bestowed as part of the University’s 125th celebrations, he addressed an audience including graduates from the veterinary professions and animal sciences 

He told the Ceremony: “As graduates beginning careers across veterinary medicine, veterinary medicine bioscience, veterinary physiotherapy and the wider animal sciences, you are entering professions that have never been so important today. 

“Your influence will reach far beyond animal health and welfare, into agriculture, food security, sustainability, and the health of our planet. 

“I want you to remember – you are the future. 

“The world you are stepping into faces some enormous challenges – a global growing population, climate change, pressures on our natural resources, emerging diseases and the need to produce food more sustainably.  

“But I don’t want you to look at these as challenges and be frightened by them. 

“Look at them as opportunities – because standing in front of me today are some of the people who are going to help find those answers.” 

He also talked about the challenges he had faced in his education because of his dyslexia, and added: “Today, I genuinely believe that my dyslexia is one of my greatest gifts - it makes me think differently. 

“So: if you are dyslexic, neurodiverse, or simply somebody who sees things differently – never, ever be ashamed. 

“Be proud of it – because the world does not need everybody to think the same way. Science certainly doesn’t! 

“We need people who question, people who challenge, people who look at a problem in a completely different way. Your difference may well turn out to be your greatest strength.” 

During the third graduation ceremony, farmer, social media star and entrepreneur Olly Harrison DL was awarded his Honorary Degree.  

His popular YouTube channel offers a glimpse into the real-world challenges and triumphs of farming – and he reaches more than 450,000 people across his social channels.  

Olly told the ceremony he hadn’t prepared a speech due to his dyslexia, and chose instead to take his few moments in the spotlight to make the audience think about mental health and looking out for friends and family. 

He challenged everyone gathered in the marquee to turn to the person next to them and ask them how they were feeling. He outlined his friendship with a fellow tractor enthusiast called David, who he felt had always had bigger and better machinery than him. Then he recalled receiving the call in which he learned that David had taken his own life. David had never spoken about his feelings, so it was completely unexpected.  

Thus began Olly’s mission to encourage people to ask how their friends and family are and to answer truthfully. A mission that saw him and friends drive a combine from John O’Groats to Lands’ End to get people to spread the message – to answer with a per cent.    

“You have all probably just lied to each other when I asked you to ask how each other were – but if you were truthful when someone asks you how you’re feeling, if you aren’t having a good day, if you’re only 60 per cent, just say ‘I’m only 60 per cent’ – because you equally might find the person asking might only be 40 per cent.  

“If you answer truthfully, or if you think someone is struggling and you ask them twice or ask them literally ‘how are you as a percentage?’ it can start that conversation - and the pair of you can come off that phone call feeling a lot better.” 

He also noted the importance of staying aware of your surroundings, and concluded: “If you remember one thing, it’s: always go around with your eyes open – and ask people how they are feeling as a percentage. 

“Thank you.”