Hymers College launches fundraising drive for bursaries to transform young lives

Giving Day will take place over 36 hours on 25 and 26 June

Hymers College is aiming to raise tens of thousands of pounds to provide life-changing educational opportunities for talented young people.

We held our inaugural ‘Giving Day’ last year to support the John Hymers Bursary Scheme – named after our founder.

The scheme enables students from lower-income families to access an outstanding education at Hymers, providing them with a platform for future success.

Last year’s event raised a total of £85,000, which will fully fund two Sixth Form students for two years.

We are now holding our second Giving Day later this month, with staff hoping to match or even surpass last year’s total.

The Giving Day invites our Old Hymerians, as well as parents and stakeholders, to contribute to the bursary scheme.

Held over 36 hours on June 25 and 26 – allowing international alumni to follow events online – the Giving Day will again feature a range of fundraising activities organised by students and staff, including market stalls, a bake sale and a ‘paint and sip’ activity for parents. Students will also be sponsored to give up their mobile phones and favourite sweets.

The Giving Day will culminate in almost 700 students, from the Junior School to Sixth Form, all taking part in a spectacular colour run.

Supporters can also ‘buy’ one of 20 trees in a garden area at the front of the school, each featuring the donor’s name – providing a lasting tribute to their support.

Last year, several successful alumni offered to match donations at varying levels, significantly boosting the total raised.

Hymers Headmaster Justin Stanley is himself aiming to raise £10,000 for the fund this year by running the East Yorkshire Half Marathon at Burton Constable Hall on June 21.

Mr Stanley is aiming to raise £10,000

He said: “We were delighted with the generosity of the Hymers community for our first Giving Day. Both the enthusiasm generated and the final sum raised exceeded our expectations for the inaugural event.

“It will allow us to fully fund two very bright young people throughout their time at Sixth Form for us, who would otherwise not have the opportunity to benefit from a Hymers education.

“Hymers has a longstanding and proud tradition of being an open and inclusive school, which plays an important role in the wider community, and our Giving Days are very much aligned to that ethos.”

On running the half marathon, Mr Stanley – who has not completed that distance for 15 years – said: “I know that running 13 miles is going to be hard work but training is going reasonably well. It’s rewarding to play my part and lead by example, and it’s a good reason to dust off the old running shoes.

“Sport and a healthy lifestyle are a big part of Hymers life, so it’s also an appropriate challenge to take on.”

Currently, 80 academically gifted students aged 10–18 receive support from the John Hymers Bursary Scheme. Bursaries are awarded on a case-by-case basis, with some students receiving up to 100% of their school fees.

Among those to benefit from the scheme is Alice Xue, who joined Hymers 10 years ago and is now preparing to study Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge.

Alice said: “I’ve been fortunate enough to benefit from the bursary scheme for my whole school career, and I’ll have the memories of my time at Hymers to cherish and fondly look back on when I go off to study at my dream university.

“However, there are still numerous others, full of potential, who would benefit immensely from an education at Hymers, but simply can’t because of the fees.

“No child’s future should be defined by their circumstances, so I’d encourage anyone who can donate to help make a difference for another young person.”

Students from the Junior and Senior School will take part in a Colour Run

The bursary scheme reflects John Hymers’ original vision for the school, which he said should be “for the training of intelligence in whatever social rank of life it may be found”.

Emily Pennack, our Head of Development, said: “Everyone at the school is getting involved, from our youngest pupils through to Sixth Form students, as well as staff, parents, alumni and supporters.

“Giving Day has become a wonderful opportunity to bring the whole Hymers community together behind a shared purpose.

“Not only is it a fantastic way to end the academic year and celebrate our Enrichment Week, but it also helps create life-changing opportunities for young people who may otherwise never have the chance to benefit from a Hymers education.

“It will be fantastic if we can match or even exceed last year’s total.”

• To support the Giving Day, visit: https://www.oldhymerians.com/pages/giving-day