Record in regular giving by Bristol alumni and friends

20 September 2012

‘Our donors have driven some remarkable results,’ said Vice-Chancellor Professor Eric Thomas. ‘Donors help to make Bristol University’s education and research even better than we could otherwise afford. I am very grateful to all the Bristol alumni, parents, students, staff and friends who supported Bristol in 2011/12.’

Roger Holmes (BSc 1981), chair of the University of Bristol’s Centenary Campaign, noted that this was the seventh consecutive record-breaking year for Bristol’s regular giving. ‘Annual donations of £1 million are equivalent to the income Bristol might receive from a £33 million endowment,’ he said. ‘This level of income enables the University to say “yes” to very special opportunities in teaching, research and scholarship.’

2011/12 regular giving donations funded more than 500 different activities at Bristol. Here are some examples.

• The Cancer Research Fund enables promising young cancer researchers to buy laboratory consumables and equipment, in support of studies which aim to prevent and treat major cancers including breast, bowel, laryngeal, oral and prostate cancers and leukaemia. 
• InsideArts, a three-day public festival of concerts, recitals, lectures, debates and workshops, was launched by the Faculty of Arts in October 2011. A substantial proportion of the audience had never attended University events before. The Arts Faculty is planning another festival in 2013.
• A low-cost wooden bike and a wind turbine made out of local materials were just two of the projects made possible by Bristol’s regular giving support for engineering students. Working with Engineers Without Borders, an international development organisation which brings sustainable industry to communities in developing countries, Bristol students gain hands-on experience while helping others.
• Thanks to regular gifts and some additional larger gifts, 40 students embarked on Bristol courses in 2012 via the Access to Bristol programme. Without Access to Bristol bursaries, these students – who all have very low family earnings – might not be willing to contemplate £9,000-per-annum fees plus living expenses.

Additional examples of the impact of regular giving at the University of Bristol can be found in the 2011/12 Donor Report, 'Why you give'. Altogether in 2011/12, over £6.2m was donated to the University of Bristol from trusts, foundations, individuals and companies.

You can support Bristol’s research and education by making a donation at www.bristol.ac.uk/centenarycampaign/how/.