A massive congratulations to our eight #TeamUoB runners who ran the London Marathon in October, raising an incredible £23,254 in support of the Healthy Minds programme!
Category: Student Stories
‘Thank you to the people supporting this programme’: Maggie McWilliams on her Black Bristol Scholarship
Maggie McWilliams discusses how studying for an MA in Black Humanities will have a huge impact on her role as a secondary school teacher. (more…)
Applications open for student telephone fundraising team!
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We are currently recruiting for student callers to work on our Spring 2023 Telephone Fundraising campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a friendly team in which you can build your skills, make a difference, and gain fundraising experience. Applications can be submitted through our online form.
If you’re an enthusiastic, reliable, team player who is comfortable speaking over the phone then we’d love to hear from you!
As a telephone fundraiser you will call Bristol graduates to discuss what’s new at the University, what they’ve been up to since leaving Bristol, answer any questions they may have, and ask for a charitable donation. It’s an important and rewarding job. In 2021/22 our team of student callers raised more than £160,000 for Student Scholarships. Click here to read more about the amazing things you’ll be helping to support through telephone fundraising.
Working hours and pay
We are proud to be a Living Wage accredited employer, and you will be paid £11.21 per hour plus 12.07% holiday pay. All students are paid in arrears for the previous month’s work on the 26th of each month, or on the previous working day if this falls on a weekend or bank holiday.
The Spring Telephone Fundraising campaign will run from Saturday 4 February to Sunday 26 February 2023. We ask our callers to work for the full duration of the campaign, completing an average of 12 hours each week.
To take part you must attend compulsory in-person training sessions from 9am – 4pm on Saturday 4 February and Sunday 5 February.
‘I was so happy when I found out I had been awarded the scholarship’: Lauren Hutfield on her Black Bristol Scholarship
Lauren Hutfield (BSc 2021) is studying for an MSc in Development and Security and is in receipt of a Black Bristol Scholarship. Here, she explains how the scholarship has impacted her and her plans for the future.
At the end of my undergraduate degree here in Bristol, I didn’t feel like my friends who said: “I’m done with uni!”. I wanted to go on and do more – I still felt like I had that in me. But you can’t get the same kind of loan for tuition fees for your master’s as you can for undergraduate studies, so finding funding was crucial. I was the first of my siblings to go to university and my family have been really supportive in encouraging me in what I want to do, but without the scholarship it would have been really hard.
I was so happy when I found out I had been awarded the scholarship. I knew that it would be competitive to get, so I was really surprised, and relieved as well, because it took the pressure off. I didn’t have any worries about trying to find part-time work and I could just focus on the master’s, which is a lot more challenging than my undergraduate course. My results this year have definitely reflected this, because I’ve been able to put in the time I needed to do the work.
Meet our #TeamUoB London Marathon Runners (Part 2)
This October, an incredible group of ten Bristol alumni and students are taking on the 2022 London Marathon in support of the University’s Healthy Minds programme.
This programme helps students who are experiencing mental health difficulties by providing them with a bespoke physical activity plan and access to sports facilities. Students are paired up with a mentor – a member of the University fitness team with advanced mental health training – who coaches them throughout their time on the programme.
Introducing this year’s runners…
Meet Our #TeamUoB London Marathon Runners (Part 1)
This October, an incredible group of ten Bristol alumni and students are taking on the 2022 London Marathon in support of our Healthy Minds programme.
This programme helps students who are experiencing mental health difficulties by providing them with a bespoke physical activity plan and access to sports facilities. Students are paired up with a mentor – a member of the University fitness team with advanced mental health training – who coaches them throughout their time on the programme.
Introducing this year’s runners…
Celebrating the success of Bristol Mentors
An enormous thank you to alumni and students who have participated in the Bristol Mentors programme this year. We were delighted to have many of you get together for our Bristol Mentors Thank You event last month, to celebrate the contributions of our alumni volunteers and the students who have been paired in the last academic year.
Bristol Mentors is an alumni volunteering programme where students from underrepresented groups are matched with a Bristol graduate who acts as their mentor. Mentors work with mentees to help them with their career development and provide support which can enhance their university experience. (more…)
Scholarships nurture talent: Matthew’s story
The Futures Scholarship programme awards talented students with up to £4,500 and enables them to access guidance and careers support from a dedicated coordinator. The scholarships are funded by Bristol’s alumni and friends and the support they provide gives students the security to focus on their studies and pursue their interests with enthusiasm. Read on to hear from economics and mathematics student Matthew, who is among the first cohort of 33 Futures Scholars graduating this year.
In my final year at the University, I secured a graduate position with Lane Clark & Peacock LLP (LCP), as a pensions actuarial analyst. My position involves a blend of analysing the financial costs of risk in pension schemes and liaising with clients. In this role I’ll be able to use soft skills whilst also having the opportunity to solve complex problems, which is why I was overjoyed with the offer.
Laura, the Futures Scholarship Coordinator, encouraged me to apply for opportunities within the University very early on which helped me develop all the skills I needed to succeed. In my first year, I was selected as the vice-president of Riverside Junior Common Room at the Students’ Union, representing over 600 students. In my second year, I became treasurer for the Economics, Finance and Management Society. Then, in my final year I became the secretary of the Bristol University Actuarial Society and the head of finance for Epigram, the University of Bristol’s student newspaper.
Scholarships empower: Keeley’s story
In 2022, 33 Futures Scholars will graduate from the University of Bristol, many of whom have already secured their graduate jobs, internships and opportunities abroad. The Futures Scholarship programme is funded through the generosity of the University’s alumni and friends. It awards talented students with up to £4,500 and enables them to access guidance and career support from a dedicated coordinator. Graduating psychology student Keeley tells us how she has developed her career path with the help of the scholarship.
I am not from a wealthy background. In my area few people go on to higher education and I am the first person to go to university in my family.
The Futures Scholarship is exciting because you receive funds along with guidance and employability support. If I had just been given money, I may not have known how to spend it in the best way. But having the support of the Futures Scholarship Coordinator meant that I got so much more out of this scholarship. It set me up for making long-term plans and helped me to really think about what I can achieve.
“It really does mean everything to me”: William’s scholarship story
First-year student William Shelley was inspired to study for a degree in law, after working as a Royal Marines Commando and witnessing the importance of humanitarian law.
William is one of the 160 Futures Scholars who have received support through the programme since it began in 2019.
Futures Scholarships provide undergraduate students with a £2,000 bursary, which helps them to buy essential items for their studies and a further £2,500 for employment opportunities.
Speaking about the impact of his scholarship, William said: “The moment that I found out that I received the Futures Scholarship it was life changing. The first person I told was my mum, and she was elated.