NCB member Edge & Son’s Callum Edge receives honorary degree

NCB member Edge & Son’s Callum Edge receives honorary degree from University of Chester

A businessman who has been with a Wirral family butcher shop for more than 50 years has been awarded an honorary degree at the University of Chester.

During last week’s graduation ceremonies, held at Chester Cathedral, Callum Edge was awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to food, farming and local business.

Born in 1963, Callum Edge is a fifth-generation butcher and former proprietor of Edge & Son, a family business established in 1844 and based in New Ferry.

Introduced to livestock farming and cattle markets by his father, John Edge, from a young age, Callum joined the family business full-time in 1979. He retired from full-time work in 2024 when he sold the business to the current owners of Edge & Son after over 50 years. He retains a close relationship as a consultant.

In his speech to graduates, Callum said: “It is a tremendous honour to receive this honorary degree, and I am genuinely humbled that the University has recognised me in this way.”

On advice for graduates, Callum added: “Work hard. It sounds terribly unfashionable sometimes, but I have never found a substitute for it. Talent helps. Education helps. Good fortune certainly helps.

“But turning up, putting the effort in, learning your trade and doing the job properly – consistently, caring about what you do year after year – really matters. Whether you become a business leader, a teacher, a scientist, a farmer, an artist or something that doesn’t even exist as a job yet, take pride in it. Be your best self.”

Across 12 ceremonies, graduates from the University of Chester’s Faculties of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health, Medicine and Society, Science and Business and Enterprise crossed the stage at Chester Cathedral to collect their degrees and be congratulated by Professor Dame Jenny Harries, Chancellor of the University of Chester, and Professor Eunice Simmons, Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Hundreds of graduates had completed their studies across the University, including at University Centre Warrington, University Centre Birkenhead, and University Centre Reaseheath.

Professor Simmons said: “It is a true honour to help each and every graduate mark this special occasion and to recognise the significance of the skills and knowledge they have acquired at the University of Chester. These are not just tools for employment; they are instruments for change, for progress, and for making a positive impact on societies across the world.

“To all our recent graduates I would like to say: the future is yours. Own it well.”