Bedford students given £3.6k to help with university costs

Kezia-Rose is currently studying for their masters degree in drama, dance and performance arts at The University of Huddersfield

A student who has been given financial help to attend university says that without the money, they would not have been able to study.

Kezia-Rose, from Bedfordshire, received £3,600 from the Bedford-based charity, the Harpur Trust.

They said due to the costs of gaining a degree, "I was so worried I wouldn't be able to follow this path".

In total 16 students from across the Bedford area were given bursaries totalling £57,600.

The money, awarded to 13 students in all, can go towards accommodation, books, food, transport or course materials, the charity said

Kezia-Rose, who was a student at Biddenham International School and Bedford Sixth Form, said: "University and academia were always aspirations of mine, but I was so worried I wouldn't be able to follow this path due to my disabilities, and how costly university can be."

They were helped by the charity to study drama at the University of Huddersfield and are currently undertaking a Masters degree.

"There was no way I would have been able to study without the Harpur Trust," they said.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to work alongside my studies due to my health, and had I deferred my entry to earn some money first.

"To slowly see more and more people like me, or from all manner of other backgrounds under-represented at university level, has been an experience I don't quite have words for, and I hope to see it continue."

The scheme is open to Year 13 students who attend Bedford Borough state schools.

Amy Yu was very happy to receive £3,600, to be spend over three years of her degree course

Amy Yu, who studied at Kimberley College, Stewartby, is reading mathematics at Bath University.

"As the oldest of four children from a low-income family and first in the family to attend university, I wish to inspire and motivate my younger siblings to chase their dreams," she said.

"The bursary would allow me to focus on following my aspirations without the stress of financial strain and I'm so very grateful to receive it."

Nicola McKenzie, Harpur Trust grants manager, said: "Past students tell us the bursaries really help offset some of the spiralling costs of studying and enable them to concentrate on their courses, reducing anxiety and stress, leading to better mental health."