Since 2007, The Bedford Charity (The Harpur Trust) has supported ambitious Bedford school leavers by awarding grants worth £3000 per student to enable them to continue their education at university. The scheme encourages students who are passionate and committed to their future and who are otherwise unable to go to university without help, to take the next step toward further education.
To date the Charity has awarded a total of £225,000 to 75 university students who are nominated by their upper school or Bedford College.
This year’s University Bursary Awards ceremony has just taken place at the Charity’s offices and saw 14 new students from local schools in Bedford receive their bursary after successfully passing their A levels. They will all start university this autumn.
This summer also saw the graduation of nine students who had been awarded bursaries in 2007 and 2008, after completing degrees in subjects ranging from law, history and maths to contemporary theatre practice and illustration and animation.
This year’s event enabled the new students to ask questions of their older counterparts about university life and how the Charity’s help affected their lives; this year’s candidates were also presented with a certificate of achievement by Rae Levene, Chairman of the Charity’s Grants Committee.
Some of the graduates who attended the awards described how receiving a bursary and going to university had made a difference to them.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Bedford Charity because it was a lifeline for me. If it had not been for this bursary I would have really struggled financially”. Salma
“The bursary made a huge difference. It meant that I did not have financial worries and could focus on achieving my very best”. Sarah
“I feel very privileged to be part of the Bedford Charity bursary process and to be rewarded for attending university”. Liam
Peta Frost, Grants Officer for the Bedford Charity commented “We were delighted to be able to celebrate the success of students from Bedford and to welcome 14 new students to the scheme. The Bursary provides much needed financial support to students who may not otherwise be able to afford to go to university, due to their personal circumstances”.