You did it!

Sincere thanks to you for supporting and promoting our Emergency Hardship Appeal. The appeal has now reached and surpassed its target of £50,000. Your donations have helped nearly 200 students to overcome the challenges thrown up by the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic.

Whilst we succeeded in addressing many of the initial challenges to student life during the first months of Covid-19, we have also realised that this difficult situation is likely to continue evolving and affecting all of us for some time.

At the end of September a new cohort of students will arrive at Aston in circumstances unlike any seen before, whilst other students will be returning to find campus life very different to when they left. Working together we are determined to ensure everyday difficulties are overcome in order to provide these students with the outstanding educational opportunities they deserve.

As part of this effort, we have launched the Forward Fund. This fund will cover all aspects of student support at Aston, from emergency hardship responses in times of immediate crisis to awarding scholarships that offer assistance and encouragement over a longer time period.

The success of the Emergency Hardship Appeal has been due to the generosity of supporters like you. Likewise, the Forward Fund will be able to make a difference to students’ university experience thanks to your continuing support. On behalf of all of them, thank you.

For more information or to make a gift to the Forward Fund - go.aston.ac.uk/p/forwardfund

With donors joining in from as far afield as Canada and Hong Kong, the Student Emergency Hardship Fund appeal is now a global effort. Thanks to the generous support of alumni, staff and friends of Aston we are now 93% of the way towards our second funding goal.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, promoted and encouraged. The fund has now helped 177 students access the extra support they have needed.

To leave a message of support or make another gift, please use this link: https://spsr.me/74zk

Because of your gift and the continuing support of other alumni, staff and friends of Aston, over 160 students have now received direct support from the Student Emergency Hardship Fund, helping them through these challenging times. Thank you so much.

We’re delighted to announce that, thanks to this generous support, the original financial goal set for this appeal has been passed. However, with many more students still applying to the Fund, we are determined to aim even higher, ensuring that every student who needs help during this crisis can get it.

Thank you again.

Please help us reach this new goal by continuing to share the link: https://spsr.me/74zk

Over halfway!

Thanks to the continuing support of donors like you, we’re over halfway to our goal. Over 100 students have now accessed the Student Emergency Hardship Fund, so thank you again for your gift and for helping us to promote the appeal.

We’ve been hearing from more students who have been helped by the fund.

“I just want to thank the donors for what they do and let them know how much of a positive impact they have on the lives of many students here. I’m very happy to be part of this community, because even in these very uncertain times, I feel supported and encouraged to do my best.”

First year International Business and Modern Languages student

Among the messages of gratitude there are also notes of melancholy, echoing the challenges so many of us face during lockdown.

“It is sad to experience the last few months of my degree under the circumstances we find ourselves in, without saying goodbye to peers and lecturers. I'm sure my time at Aston will remain memorable for the rest of my life, from the little things like the infamous geese on campus to the all-night revision sessions in the library.”

Final year Mechanical engineering student

If you haven’t already done so, please remember that as a donor you can also leave a message of encouragement for students on the Comments tab (above).

Thank you.

PS. Please help us reach our goal by continuing to share the link: https://spsr.me/74zk 

A huge thank you to all of you who have donated to our Student Emergency Hardship Fund. Your support is already making a difference.

“Thank you all for the support through the funding you have provided. It helped me purchase a laptop, where before I’d been having to share with a family member. This lockdown has been very difficult as I had lost all the facilities on campus. Hopefully now I can power through with your help and complete all my work and final exams!”

Jamil, final year student - Mechanical Engineering

“My laptop broke down just days before lockdown and I was in dire need of a new one. It’s great the university is doing something to help students with financial difficulty”

Imaam, final year student - Audiology

We are already over a third of the way to our initial target thanks to you. Please do keep sharing the link with anyone you think might want to join you in helping. You can also use the icons on the donation page to put links straight onto some of your social media if you want.

https://spsr.me/74zk

Thank you again.