Eighteen months ago, alumni, supporters, students and staff launched the Birmingham In Action campaign, to change lives through ground-breaking research and support for students.
Generous donors and volunteers have made a huge difference, even in the midst of the pandemic. The people you have supported, plus many who may benefit in the future, took to Zoom to share their stories and give their thanks; students who have received scholarships, young people who are informing mental health research, donors to cancer research and academics who are driving the research.
Thank you to everyone who has made a gift to help tackle some of our world's greatest challenges and are helping to transform lives for our generation and the next.
Bright Minds In Birmingham
Our Pathways to Birmingham programme provides students with an insight into university study and graduate employability, support with the university application process and enables successful transition to higher education.
Access to Birmingham (A2B) is part of the Pathways to Birmingham scheme, for disadvantaged students who may be the first in their family to go university, have been in care, from a low-income household, are living with a disability, and more. Every student is supported by donations from alumni and friends of the University.
Blessing, Niamh and Poppie discuss the impact having a scholarship has had on their lives.
Bright Minds in Birmingham: Blessing's story
Final year Sport and Exercise Sciences student Blessing Nhundu talks about the impact of the A2B programme and scholarship on his University experience, how it boosted his confidence and his plans for the future.
Final year Psychology student Niamh Wilson talks about her experience on the Academic Enrichment summer school that helped her decide to come to University, the challenges she faced and what the A2B scholarship has meant for her.
Poppie Simmonds (BSc Computer Science, 2017) shares her experience on the Academic Enrichment summer school being the first in her family to attend University, the Lloyds scholarship and, as a donor herself, why she thinks donations are so important.
The Institute for Mental Health at the University of Birmingham is working to understand the causes of poor mental health and develop effective treatments and services.
The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is a group of 18-25 year olds who help to create, shape and challenge research into youth mental health. Members are paid, and take part in monthly meetings to discuss research ideas, contribute to work on research grants and take part in training.
YAG members Rowmell and Lizzie share their experiences and Professor Matthew Broome discusses the impact of philanthropy on youth mental health research.
Birmingham In Mind: Rowmell's Story
Rowmell outlines what the Youth Advisory Group does, the research he enjoys most and shares a special poem he wrote about the group.
Lizzie shares her personal experience with mental ill health, why she feels young people are best placed to help research in mental health and how being a member of the Youth Advisory Group has helped her.
Birmingham In Mind: Matthew Broome's youth mental health research
Professor of Psychiatry and Youth Mental Health and the Director of the Institute for Mental Health, Matthew Broome speaks about his research and the impact of philanthropy, including how funding from HSBC UK allowed for a pilot of a programme to help prevent bullying in schools, a preventable root cause of mental ill health.
Right now the University is close to making life-saving breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Find out more about some of the ground-breaking research happening right now in Birmingham and watch Professor Andrew Beggs, donor Wendy Tarplee-Morris from the Little Princess Trust and donors Cara de Faye and Lee Hancock.
Birmingham In Cancer Wards: Cara and Lee's story
Donors to bowel cancer research at the University, Cara de Faye and Lee Hancock speak about why they donate to Birmingham and why the research is important to them personally. We are so incredibly grateful to them and everyone who has donated to their fundraising efforts, together they have raised more than £100,000 to support Professor Andrew Beggs’ work and find a cure to chemo-resistant cancer.
Birmingham In Cancer Wards: Wendy from Little Princess Trust
Wendy Tarplee-Morris, co-founder of the Little Princess Trust, a charity that supplies real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions, shares why the Trust feels it is important to fund research and discusses the clinical trials they are proud to be funding at the University. Thank you so much to the Little Princess Trust for their continued support!
Birmingham In Cancer Wards: Andrew Beggs' bowel cancer research
Professor of Cancer Genetics and Surgery, Andrew Beggs talks about the impact of philanthropy on his research, what it has allowed the team to do and how it can transform the lives of the patients.