Jonathan Bertulis-Fernandes“I feel extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to attend Mill Hill. Without the generous financial support of the bursary this would not have been possible.
“The supportive, friendly atmosphere coupled with the outstanding teaching, pastoral support and beautiful surroundings have combined to form an environment that has enriched my life and I am certain will have a lasting impact upon my future. Mill Hill has provided me with a plethora of opportunities and possibilities which I could not have found anywhere else. I am extremely proud to be a Millhillian and always will be.”
Jonathan
The Founders noted in July 1806 that the new school should have “the power to admit gratuitously a number of pupils who may be in confined circumstances” and again in 1808 “meritorious individuals, who possess the promising talents which would otherwise be lost”. The Founders determined this should be “an object which the Committee will never lose sight of”.
The Middlesex Scheme, which ran for a generation following the Second World War, and its successor the Assisted Places Scheme, provided a Mill Hill education for pupils who could not otherwise have afforded it. Many of these recognise the difference it made to their lives. Their contemporaries speak highly of the contribution they made to every aspect of the School community and how easily they were assimilated.
Providing opportunity is therefore in the Mill Hill DNA. The Governors aim to provide such opportunity through 60 full fee bursaries, of which the Foundation Appeal is tasked with supporting 20. In order to make this sustainable in perpetuity the Foundation Appeal is seeking to build a Bursary Endowment Fund. The bursary endowment fund is the embodiment of our 10:10 vision: the target is a fund of £10 million which we hope to have in place in 10 years’ time. A fund of this size should enable us to provide the 20 full fee bursary places to which the Foundation Appeal is committed. This target can be achieved but will need a number of very large gifts, possibly legacies. We cannot however wait 10 years before we provide any bursaries. In the near future this gap will be filled by the A Better Chance Bursary Scheme.
“It was a lovely surprise that you have chosen me to be the first recipient of this bursary. It means a lot to me that you believe in me and recognise my potential. I am very much looking forward to starting Mill Hill and in the future I would love to help provide someone like me with the same opportunities.”
Extract from a letter to Dr Dominic Luckett from the first recipient of the A Better Chance bursary in memory of Donald Hall.
The pupil came into the 6th form to study the subjects she needs to read medicine at university.
In the academic year 2011/12 there are six beneficiaries of full-fee A Better Chance Bursaries.
“I think expansion is an excellent idea and is just what we had in mind when we started the A Better Chance Bursary project. I would love to see 20 A Better Chance Bursaries available to the School. We could even have a special dinner for all the donors.”
Robin Mills, co-funder with Graham Drake (both Ridgeway 1962) of the inaugural A Better Chance Bursary.
“It is my great pleasure to support the A Better Chance bursary scheme which the Foundation Appeal has established. I would like to pay tribute to OMs Robin Mills and Graham Drake who created the scheme and led the way. Through the Michael Bishop Foundation three pupils will be coming into Mill Hill in September 2011 and be able to enjoy the benefits of a Mill Hill education. Their personal circumstances would not have made this possible. I have learned something of their backgrounds and heard that they are all talented young people who will not only benefit personally but also make significant contributions to the School while they are here. Two of them will be taking advantage of all that boarding has to offer; I am pleased about this as I feel there can be something special about boarding life for some young people. Two of them have musical talent, something which I have always enjoyed supporting.
“The Michael Bishop Foundation supports a number of charities every year; there are specific and often personal reasons behind the gifts it makes. As an Old Millhillian I am proud to be associated with Mill Hill. This pride comes less from looking back on my time at the School with great affection than because I feel strongly that the whole Foundation with its three schools, is well led and making positive strides towards a successful future.”
Lord Glendonbrook (School House 1955-57)
While some bursaries may be fully funded by an individual (as is the second A Better Chance Bursary) or by two people, the majority are likely to be funded by small groups of individuals with a common interest. They might be from the same house and/or year or live in the same area/country or share a common passion for sport/music/drama. One thing which every one of these groups will have in common is a leader, someone who agrees to take responsibility for raising the bursary funds and who will recruit the participating co-funders and unite them towards a common goal. The first A Better Chance Bursary leaders are already building their groups.
There are three beneficiaries from an A Better Chance Bursary:
Interested? Would you like to be part of giving a young person a Mill Hill education? If you would like to contribute to one of the existing A Better Chance Bursary funds, click here. For more information contact Nick Priestnall by email np@millhill.org.uk or telephone 020 8906 7925.