On Tuesday 26th March 2024, we welcomed over 70 guests to the launch of our transformational bursary campaign, the Gift Campaign, held in Regent’s University’s majestic Herringham Hall, in the heart of our proverbial back garden, Regent’s Park.
The Gift Campaign aims to raise a £5M endowment fund over 10 years. This fund will create 10 additional fully-funded places in the school, and interest from the endowment will pay for these places in perpetuity. These pupils will be called Foundation Scholars in recognition of their unique gifts, outlook and contribution to the FHS community. Find out more: hergift.org.uk
The Launch event featured speeches by our Head, Katharine Woodcock, and Director of Development, Tom Robertson. They described how a gift to the campaign will act as a catalyst to transform the lives of gifted girls from all backgrounds with the will to succeed. Through access to an outstanding Francis Holland education, resources and opportunities, these girls will be able to pursue their aspirations and nurture their talents, benefitting hugely from our uniquely warm and inclusive school community.
Guests also had the opportunity to hear from current and former bursary students, who passionately described how their time at Francis Holland has influenced their lives and enabled them to achieve extraordinary things. These included Ramisa, a Class of 2014 alumna, and Nula, a Class of 2019 alumna and current Masters student at King’s College London. The video of these past pupils is available here. We also heard from Frances Baawuah, a former bursary student who went on to fulfil her dream, going on to study medicine and becoming a doctor, as well as a governor of our school.
Thank you so much to all who came last night, and to all of those who are supporting this incredibly important development in Francis Holland, Regent’s Park’s evolution. We welcome all forms of support for the campaign, including mentorship, work experience and financial support.
We look forward to welcoming more gifted girls from all backgrounds, and continuing to see their positive impact on every facet of our FHS community.