Alumni and Friends Fund grant support 23 projects
The Student Fund supports countless students, ensuring they receive the best possible Liverpool experience. Thanks to the support of alumni and friends, a portion of the money raised through this fund are made available to support one-off projects across the University. Students, societies, and staff are invited to submit applications to the Alumni and Friends Fund grant to support projects that enhance the student experience.
This academic year, the grant was awarded to 23 projects which met a variety of different needs, including:
Neston Vet Yoga Society
The Neston Vets Yoga is a new society for students based at the Leahurst campus. Students introduced the society to benefit those studying in the Wirral who would otherwise need to travel to the main campus to access yoga classes. Funding was awarded to enable the society to purchase yoga mats, blocks and blankets to run the classes and allow all students to participate.
“We would like to thank all of the fund supporters for this generous grant. This funding has come at the perfect time for us, whilst the cost of living crisis has hindered so many people from participating in activities that they enjoy, we will now be able to provide the best quality yoga classes to vet students in their clinical years, regardless of their ability to purchase equipment including yoga mats”.
Chamber Choir
The University of Liverpool Chamber Choir is made up of both undergraduate and postgraduate students from a variety of different disciplines. The Choir plan to travel to Belgium in June to perform in a series of three concerts, giving them the opportunity to prepare a high-quality concert programme to be performed in front of an international audience. Funding was awarded to make the trip more accessible to students taking part so that all students can take part regardless of their financial circumstances.
“We are extremely grateful for this grant. Singing and the choral experience was an area that particularly suffered during the pandemic, and many of our students missed out on performance experiences that they would normally have had during sixth form and their initial years at Liverpool. Your contribution will allow the choir to sing in some of Belgium’s most beautiful venues to international audiences, building their confidence, performance and presentation skills, and independence, as well as raising the choir’s profile across the University, nationally and internationally.”
Black and Minority Ethnic Medics society
The Alumni and Friends Fund grant will allow the BME Medics society will host their first national student conference on the theme ‘Inequalities in healthcare’. The conference will take place in March and will be open to all students, staff and all interested healthcare professionals around the city region. The conference will feature guest speakers and two workshops, to increase awareness of the current inequalities seen within the healthcare system and provide insights into the latest research and programmes tackling these inequalities. Funding will allow the society to facilitate the conference, source guest speakers and run the workshops.
“Thank you so much to the Alumni and Friends fund supporters! You do not realise just how excited we are for the opportunity you’ve provided for us. This conference is something we had dreamt up over the summer but did not think would happen due to a lack of funding. Your funds have enabled us to realise that dream and also make a difference in the lives of students around the UK, in terms of providing vital networking opportunities, but also making a difference in the education of tomorrow’s healthcare professionals. Thank you so much once again and we hope to see some of you at our conference!”
Other projects in receipt of the Alumni and Friends Fund Grant include:
- Supporting the Windsurfing and Fencing Clubs to purchase additional kits in various sizes to increase accessibility and inclusivity
- Offering 12 fully-funded places for students who would otherwise miss out, to attend a Law study trip
- Supporting an outreach trip for students part of the SolarChiller team to develop a solar-powered industrial refrigerator for use in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa
- Enabling early career palaeontologists to host the annual ‘Progressive Palaeontology’ student conference in Liverpool
- Supporting the Department of Languages, Cultures and Film to launch a series of events to celebrate the Chinese New Year
- Supporting members of the LivStar student group to participate in extracurricular aerospace projects, including designing, building and launching a rocket to participate in the UKSEDS rocketry competition
- Creating sensory spaces for students in the Library and School of Histories, Languages and Cultures
- Supporting the running of the ‘L8: Education Hub Homework Club Programme’ which aims to improve the learning opportunities of young people. The Hub offers exam revision support for GCSE pupils
- Involving students as partners in quality assurance of the curriculum of three disciplines using the innovative ‘Inclusive Curriculum Tool’
- Purchasing materials for members of the student Veterinary Anatomy Drawing Club to continue running the classes and welcome new members
- Converting a life-size non-functional BAE Systems Nimrod flight simulator into a working Boeing 737 commercial aircraft simulator for use by students across campus, schools’ outreach events facilitated by the student-run society “Flight Sim Group” in the School of Engineering
- Launching the ‘Birkenhead Urban Green Space’ (BUGS) Hub, in collaboration with Birkenhead Park and the University of Liverpool, Environmental Assessment and Management (EAM) Centre, to enhance awareness of the impacts of climate change and the role Urban Green Spaces can play in mitigating them
- Supporting ongoing work at the University’s Experimental Archaeology Research and Teaching Hub (EARTH) at the University’s Botanic Gardens at Ness, including developing more accessible facilities in Liverpool that will transform student engagement with ancient technologies
- Replacing old and worn safety and sports equipment for Liverpool Raptors American Football Club, Liverpool Trampoline Club, Liverpool Rowing Club and Sub-Aqua Club
- Supporting the expansion of the Liverpool Association for Space Engineering and Research Society (LASER) which aims to bring cross-department, cross-year students together via the development of Satellites, rocketry and space technology
- Running a celebration event for participants of a 12-week development programme which will support local graduates into careers in the arts, wellbeing and digital sectors; within the Liverpool City Region
The Alumni and Friends Fund grant wouldn’t be possible without your support. Your generosity not only provides crucial support to students in crisis through the provision of hardship funding and bursaries, but it also increases the opportunities available to students where they can pursue their passions and explore their interests without barriers. On behalf of this year's recipients, thank you.
To find out how you can provide support to Liverpool students, please visit the Student Fund webpage.