Robert and Jeanne Mairs Charitable Trust support Health and Life Sciences students

Thanks to a generous £48,000 donation from the Robert and Jeanne Mairs Charitable Trust, Health and Life Sciences students at Glasgow Caledonian University are benefiting from widening access support through bursaries and hardship funding.

Over the next four years, students who are care-experienced or estranged from their family, and those living in areas of high deprivation, can access this vital financial support. The funding, secured in collaboration with the GCU Foundation, will help students from challenging backgrounds, with those studying Social Work being a priority focus for support.

Within the 22/23 academic year, Glasgow Caledonian had a total of 89 care-experienced students, the majority based within the School of Health and Life Sciences with 63% studying to pursue careers in caring professions.

Annually, two £4,000 bursaries and a total of £4,000 hardship funding will be available. The first two bursaries have already been awarded to two deserving undergraduate students from challenging backgrounds. Students studying Social Work will be able to apply for payments of £250 - £500 to help support them in times of financial hardship, with applications opening this month.

Professor Anita Simmers, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, expressed her thanks to the Trust: “At Glasgow Caledonian, we are committed to supporting life-changing opportunities for those with the most need in our communities. As such, we are sincerely grateful that the Robert and Jeanne Mairs Charitable Trust are providing dedicated financial support for our health and social care students through bursaries and hardship funding. These will provide a much-needed lifeline to our aspiring students.”

The Robert and Jeanne Mairs Charitable Trust was established by local doctors Robert and Jeanne Mairs to support the relief of poverty and advancement of education and health.