This summer, we celebrated 25 years of Access to Birmingham (A2B). Since 2000, this programme has been transformative in opening doors for around 7,500 talented students who may not otherwise have seen Birmingham as an option.
Past and current students, as well as teachers, donors and outreach staff, came together to celebrate the achievements of A2B alumni and recognise the generosity of the donors who contribute to the programme. Access to Birmingham, which now makes up part of the broader Pathways to Birmingham Programme (P2B), works with schools and colleges to support high aspirations and attainment. Some 2,200 students have also received support through a philanthropic scholarship or bursary, and four out of five scholarship students are in graduate level employment or postgraduate education six months after graduating.
Choosing to pursue a university education is a huge challenge for some students. Scholarships and bursaries offered through our Pathways to Birmingham programme can be transformative in opening doors for talented students who have experienced all manner of difficulties along their way.
A programme with philanthropy at its heart
Philanthropy from alumni and supporters is at the heart of the P2B story, where for example, Sir Simon Campbell FRS and Lady Jill are among its principal benefactors through creation of the Simon and Jill Campbell Foundation.
Sir Simon’s own experience of gaining a university education was far from straight forward as he had to leave school at 17 to work at the Dunlop Research Laboratories in Erdington. However, his supervisor took a keen personal interest in his career and guided him through unfamiliar pathways to University entry. Subsequently, he was awarded a first class degree in chemistry at Birmingham in 1962 followed by his PhD in 1965. Simon then continued into postdoctoral research at Birmingham, Chile and Stanford in California before being appointed Visiting Professor at the Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1970.
Simon and family returned to the UK in 1972 where he joined Pfizer in Sandwich as a bench chemist and subsequently became Head of Worldwide Research for the UK, US and Japan. Simon has published over 150 papers and patents and was a key member of the research teams that discovered innovative medicines such Cardura, Istin (Norvasc) and Viagra which have all proved to be outstanding clinical and commercial successes.
As well as being a former President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Sir Simon has also worked with charitable organisations around the World to discover new drugs for poorly served diseases such as cancer, malaria and TB.
By his own account, many of his career achievements would not have been possible without the local authority grant that enabled Sir Simon to enter University initially, supplemented later by constant part time employment during vacations. These experiences prompted Sir Simon and Lady Jill to establish their Foundation which supports students by offering 3-year scholarships in chemistry, physics and mathematics, plus funding for books and essential material support.
Sir Simon and Lady Jill commented that “we have been delighted to work with the Development and Alumni Relations Office over many years to support this exciting P2B initiative which is having such a tangible impact on widening participation for talented students. Our participation also provides an emotional link to our educational roots, and we wish you every success in the future.”
Student success stories
One student who benefited from the Foundation’s generosity is Rebecca Parker, (BSc Physics with Particle Physics and Cosmology, 2013; MSc Physics and Technology, 2014) who now works in the energy sector. She describes her participation in P2B as ‘a vote of confidence in me and my future’.
'I worked part time throughout most of my time at university but the scholarship took the pressure of working more hours than I could manage alongside my studies,” she said. “I was also able to attend a networking dinner where a I met a previous graduate who was able to help me with my CV.'
The majority of students taking part in P2B report that the scheme has increased their confidence and helped them into employment, as well as providing them with the financial support they needed to fund their studies.
Niamh Wilson (BSc Psychology, 2021) said: 'It was my first week in sixth form and my mum unfortunately suffered a stroke. You learn that the world doesn’t just stop because something bad happens, it carries on, and that’s where the Pathways to Birmingham programme levels the playing field. It’s just bringing us back up to where we would have been if life would have given us the same opportunities as everybody else.’
Gulaid Ahmed (MSci Chemistry, 2020) said: 'The P2B scheme was an incredible programme that propelled, fast-tracked and changed not only my academic opportunities but also my life.
'From the lowering of grade requirements to the academic support in terms of learning how to research and writing essays, as well as the financial support that helped me buy the books and propped me up, I did not miss out on anything in my university life.' Since graduating, Guilaid has succeeded in getting a job with Unilever as a Digital Formulation Scientist.