“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X
Welcome
This edition of the Legacy Newsletter focuses on the transformative power of education to change lives. The photo above is of Alumni David and Christine Neville’s year book from 1971/2 and they share their journey together since meeting at University 54 years ago. They also offer their motivations behind pledging a gift in their Will to help disadvantaged students gain access to higher education. David’s school friends mostly ended up at the cotton mill but he was fortunate to have the support of an inspirational teacher along with no tuition fees and a full subsistence grant which made a university education possible. We also feature two of our scholarship students Ambar and Allyson who give thanks for the incredible gift of financial aid and tell us a little about how this has impacted their lives.
The University of York was founded and motivated by a commitment to opening up access to university, which in the words of our first Vice Chancellor, is something we care about more than almost anything else. It's central to our identity as a University for Public Good. We believe in the power of education to transform young people's lives and that every single member of our society, whatever their background, should be afforded the same opportunities.
Gifts in Wills have enabled the University to do so much incredible work, including supporting students through scholarships, enhancing our understanding of mental health issues and helping protect our Archives for future generations.
When you are thinking about supporting the University through a gift in your Will, please consider an unrestricted gift which would offer us the greatest flexibility to allocate your gift to an area most in need such as supporting access to education. To discuss leaving a gift in your Will, please email me at maresa.bailey@york.ac.uk or call me on 07385 976145.
Maresa Bailey, Legacy Officer
David and Christine Neville, Heslington Circle Members, fondly recall their time at the University of York
Leaving a Legacy to help students to study and succeed and enjoy university life as much as we did!
Christine and I both come from Lancashire. I grew up on a council estate in Bolton, my father was a fireman and my mother couldn’t work because of a disability. I was the first in my wider family to experience university. Moving from primary school to grammar school from the estate was an achievement, most of my friends then moved on to work in the local cotton mill so to go to university was very unusual for our family and community. Christine's father was a manager in the textile industry and her mother a stay-at-home mum and again the first to go to university.
Independently, we chose York as it was a campus university as we liked the notion of being a part of a community which studied and lived together. Campus life did not disappoint, it was smaller back then and we recognised 80-90% of faces! Additionally, with only 5 colleges and student bars plus the 2 pubs in Heslington it was perfectly possible to have a decent bar crawl.
In choosing a field of study, Biology was a natural choice for me following on from an influential and inspirational Biology teacher at school. Christine was more aware of the intrinsic value of degree level study but always wanted to study within Biological Sciences.
Though we both studied Biology, Christine and I did not get together until our third year and that started when we collaborated on a research project for Dr. Judy Metcalfe. Normally all third year undergraduate projects were undertaken in the teaching labs but because our projects concerned Drosophila (South American Fruit flies) and the teaching labs were unsuitable we got to share a laboratory in the research wing. Hardly a romantic start to our relationship, breeding tens of thousands of flies to research their acquisition of immunity to various pesticides but we did have to meet up every 4 hours, sometimes in our PJ’s and dressing gowns to check on things much to the amusement of the security staff! About 2 years later we married and subsequently had two children, Claire and Christopher who have emigrated to Australia and New Zealand respectively and we now have three beautiful Aussie granddaughters.
Our favourite memories of the University of York include the hugely enjoyable music scene. The bands of the day relied on playing at university venues, no such thing as playing big stadiums or arenas then. Freshers Week in 1969 featured King Crimson. Fairport Convention were frequent artists and others included Elton John, Steeleye Span, Free and Curved Air. The Who played a concert in Central Hall the day after they recorded 'Live at Leeds' - it was a truly memorable occasion. We were deaf for days afterwards! And Langwith JCR were contacted by Paul MacCartney in 1972 to see if we could accommodate his new band Wings, for £300 I think it was! He played in Goodricke dining hall and the place was crowded inside and out as word had got round the city that he was on campus.
College politics via the JCR in Langwith was an enlightening experience too. I confess to being part of the occupation of Heslington Hall over the issue of ‘secret’ student files.
Sport played a big part in university life for me, I learned how to play squash from scratch and ended up on the university team. Sadly, as a competitive swimmer, there was no swimming pool on campus at that time. Christine continued to enjoy horse riding and began to learn a martial art. We still keep fit while living in France and swimming and competing is one of our major activities. We swim with a club in Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the so-called 'Masters' section and compete against similarly aged swimmers. It is highly competitive and many participants were outstanding in their younger days being national champions and Olympians. Christine and I compete in the French National Masters' Championships and in last year's championships, Christine was ranked 5ᵗʰ in the country and I was ranked 6th for our age groups. We have also represented our French club in European Championships. Suffice to say we enjoy staying fit, competing and have a great team of French friends around us.
We have now lived in France for nearly five years and are thoroughly enjoying ourselves and are a lot less stressed out than when we were working in FE as lecturers and managers (both of us) and as a Systems Analyst (in Christine’s case). Any stress nowadays comes from trying to keep our neighbouring farmer’s animals, (sheep, pigs, donkeys and turkeys) out of our garden and woodland – we can cope with that level of stress!
We frequently and fondly recall our time at the University and therefore leaving a sum to the University in our Will seems a natural thing to do. Coming from a disadvantaged background I can appreciate the difficulties current students must have in financing their studies and being saddled with huge debts. I was on a maximum grant at the time and even managed to save enough money from the grant to buy driving lessons and my very first car – a very battered A35 Austin van.
We hope our legacy will help students to study and succeed and enjoy university life at York as much as we did.
We are also members of the Heslington Circle. If you decide to pledge a gift to the University, and let the University know, then they would be thrilled to invite you to join. As a member you will receive an exclusive invitation to an annual event held at the University, with key speakers showcasing exciting new developments on campus.
David and Christine Neville
Biology Lab 1960's
Biology Lab 1960's
David, Christine and friends at Langwith bar after finals
David, Christine and friends at Langwith bar after finals
David and Christine's wedding 1974
David and Christine's wedding 1974
David and Christine attending a reunion event at the Biology department 2011
David and Christine attending a reunion event at the Biology department 2011
David and Christine Living in France, Agen 2023
David and Christine Living in France, Agen 2023
Heslington Circle Celebration Event 18th March 2023, The Guildhall, York
Professor Ian Graham
Professor Ian Graham
Professor Yvonne Birks
Professor Yvonne Birks
Professor Rachel Cowgill
Professor Rachel Cowgill
Emma Brown and Pip Rackstraw from XR Stories and Sign
Emma Brown and Pip Rackstraw from XR Stories and Sign
Allyson, a scholarship recipient studying mental health nursing
Allyson, a scholarship recipient studying mental health nursing
Estelle, a PhD student and a Galapagos scholar
Estelle, a PhD student and a Galapagos scholar
Professor Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement and Director of the Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Leadership, Economy & Diversity
Professor Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement and Director of the Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Leadership, Economy & Diversity
The annual Heslington Circle event is hosted by the University of York, to celebrate and showcase the impact of gifts in Wills to the University. The Heslington Circle was established in 2012 by then Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Felicity Riddy, to celebrate the community of friends, staff and alumni who have pledged, or are intending to pledge, a gift in their Will to the University of York. Today there are over 250 members, all over the world, who have joined the Heslington Circle.
This year’s 10th annual Heslington Circle Event took place in the beautiful Guildhall on Saturday, 18th March. It was lovely to have so many join us to celebrate the wide impact of legacy gifts. We enjoyed hearing from our academic speakers, Professor Ian Graham, Professor Yvonne Birks and Professor Rachel Cowgill. From XR Stories and Sign, the presentation from Emma Brown and Pip Rackstraw was fascinating and it was great to experience their studio firsthand in the Guildhall. We heard from a couple of our brilliant students, Allyson, a scholarship recipient studying mental health nursing and Estelle, a PhD student and a Galapagos scholar. Estelle began her PhD in October 2020 and after an unexpected funding shortfall and loss of stipend, was able to restart in Summer 2022 thanks to generous philanthropic support.
Professor Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement and Director of the Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Leadership, Economy & Diversity was proud to attend her first Heslington Circle event and offered her personal thanks to Heslington Circle members for pledging a gift in their Will. Professor Trehan was also delighted to welcome Professor Felicity Riddy who hosted the first ever Heslington Circle event in 2012.
Thank you to our Heslington Circle members for supporting our current and future students.
If you would like more information on joining the Heslington Circle please contact maresa.bailey@york.ac.uk
Scholar Impact and Gratitude
Ambar - Wild Scholar
I recently had the very great pleasure of meeting with Ambar, a University of York scholarship recipient studying for a Ph.D. in Chemistry. Although I cannot pretend to understand much about Ambar’s field of research, ‘Combining lasers and ion mobility mass spectrometry to develop a new structure tool for mass spectrometry’, what is abundantly clear is her enjoyment of chemistry and her gratitude to be studying at the University of York under the brilliant Professor Caroline Dessent. Ambar is so thankful for the incredible opportunity given to her through the gift of a scholarship. She’s also immensely grateful to her parents, Zubeda and Shakeel Ahmed Shaikh who have given her endless love and encouragement.
“I grew up in Mumbai as one of five siblings, four girls and one boy. I was taught the value of an education from a young age as my mum only got to study up to age 16 but she’s really clever and always helped with homework and in finding answers to our many questions. All my siblings have gone to university thanks to the encouragement and sacrifices of my mum and dad.
As a child I dreamed of studying at the very highest level and I always worked really hard but after completing my BSc, I didn’t want to burden my family with the additional costs of funding further studies. My dad is a wonderful man and offered to sell everything to make my dreams come true, including the family home! Of course, I couldn’t accept that offer.
At this point in my life, I could have accepted a job or a marriage offer but decided, with the unwavering support of my mum and dad, to look for international opportunities that might offer scholarships. I cannot express how thrilled I was to get accepted at York with a scholarship and couldn’t be happier studying here and living on such a beautiful campus.
The gift of a scholarship has changed my life and allowed me to fulfil my dream. Thank you to the benefactor that made this possible.
I’d like to end on a quote from John Bunyan, “You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” This quote is dear to my heart because it simply justifies my whole situation that has entirely changed because of your kindness, which I can never repay.”
Allyson and Bill Clinton
Allyson and Bill Clinton
Allyson and Chelsea Clinton
Allyson and Chelsea Clinton
Allyson at the Clinton Global Initiative University
Allyson at the Clinton Global Initiative University
Allyson at the Clinton Global Initiative University
Allyson at the Clinton Global Initiative University
Allyson Chris Barker Scholar
Allyson is a scholarship recipient in her second year studying Mental Health Nursing and recently gave a talk at the Heslington Circle event. As part of her talk Allyson included slides with photographs of herself and the Clintons - yes, Bill, Hillary and Chelsea! In addition to studying towards her degree, doing consecutive, 4 day, 13 hour shifts at York District Hospital, volunteering with the Eden Project and looking after two young children, Allyson found time to head to Nashville as part of a group of students selected to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) conference. CGIU is a community of students who are taking action together on pressing challenges facing their campuses, communities and the world.
“Changing the world for the better isn’t someone else’s business - it’s up to all of us”
CGIU further inspired Allyson to make a difference in the world and one of the lightening bolt moments of attending the conference was from Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, who said “Embrace bravery, not perfection…..that means fail….you cannot be great unless you fail, if you want to change the world you’ve got to be great and that means you have to have experiences that teach you to do better.”
“It was an honour to represent the University of York at the CGIU and be a part of a global student community committed to making the world a better place. I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities available to me through my studies at York. I am a Student Leader with the Council of Deans of Health UK & Burdett Trust for Nursing, selected as part of the #150Leaders 2022 Cohort. I am also a Student Social Prescribing Champion with the College of Medicine.
The financial support given through the scholarship has reduced my money anxiety and significantly assisted me with travel expenses and the ever rising cost of living. By receiving the lifeline of a scholarship, my financial burden has been lightened. I truly hope that one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me.
My ultimate goal is to become a prolific mental health practitioner and, using a range of psychological interventions and skills, support individuals with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
This scholarship has opened doors and broken down barriers for me which I thought were not possible. Thank you.”
Thank You
This photo of Kate and I was taken in 2021 just after Kate’s on-line graduation ceremony. I met Kate when she became friends with my daughter while studying for her A’ levels in York. Kate didn’t have any family to help her get into university and had actually supported herself since the age of 15 by working any job she could find.
“I was homeless at 17 but with the support of friends who let me live with them and the encouragement of my teachers, I was successful in getting into the University of York. I can’t thank them enough nor do I have the words to express how grateful I am to receive a scholarship from the University of York because this took away not only the financial stress but gave me much needed emotional support and allowed me to concentrate on my studies. Thank you!”
Hundreds of less advantaged students face substantial barriers to their education, and recent challenges have only made it more difficult for people to overcome these differences. We welcome students from all backgrounds, and through donations such as Gifts in Wills we can continue to make sure students have access to the vital support they need; this includes students with disabilities, care leavers, students who are the first in their family to attend university and students from an ethnic minority background.
The University has in the past been very fortunate in receiving significant bequests and we hope that such generous gifts will continue in the future. However it has also received many modest gifts, which together are just as valuable. Sometimes small sums can have a great impact: a modest legacy to alleviate financial hardship can change the whole direction of a student’s life like Kate, Ambar or Allyson.
If you are interested in finding out more about how you can leave a gift in your Will, or if you have already made provisions in your Will, like David and Christine, please email Maresa Bailey, Legacies Officer, at maresa.bailey@york.ac.uk or download our free legacy brochure here. By notifying us of your intentions you will be invited to join the Heslington Circle. The Heslington Circle is the University's way of expressing gratitude and appreciation to generous legacy donors.
Thank you for reading May’s Legacy Newsletter. To discuss anything in this newsletter further, please contact the Legacies Officer, Maresa Bailey.
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