Edge Hill Pioneers Volunteering Scholarships

Edge Hill University has become the first in the region to offer scholarships for students who are active spare-time volunteers and will be giving four £2000 awards in time for the start of the new academic year this September.

This pioneering move is another demonstration of Edge Hill's mission to widen participation in higher education.

In all, 12 x £2,000 scholarship awards will be made with four each in Volunteering, Performing Arts, Sports and Creative Arts.

"We want to recognise and reward students who go the extra mile and excel in one of these four categories and we feel that those who volunteer to help others, especially in the local community, are particularly worthy of this recognition," said Adam Bell of Edge Hill University's academic registry department, who is administering the scheme.

Unlike conventional grants and bursaries, which are based on household income, the Excellence scholarships will be awarded purely on the student's merit of achievement.

Judging for all the awards will take place in July, and the cash will be paid over three years, with £1000 in year one and £500 in years two and three.

Students will be able to use the money for whatever they want, and although some applicants have said they would spend it on their tuition fees, a large number of the volunteer category entrants have said that they intend to use it to plough back into their community projects. One, for example, who runs a children's football team has said that he'd use his award to buy new strips and other kit for the team.