Recently 15 members of staff from the Division of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR), plus 3 of their partners, and a dog called Stanley) climbed Mount Snowdon. Sponsorship raised for the climb will contribute towards a scholarship for a young person coming to Manchester following completion of the Manchester Access Programme (MAP).

Scholarships for undergraduate access to higher education through the MAP scheme are supported by donations to the University. Staff in the DDAR team see the impact this financial support has on students through their everyday work – introducing students to donors and collecting feedback reports from all scholarship holders.

Kate Bradbury, Senior Events Officer in DDAR organised the climb, she said: “I really wanted to climb a mountain this year and make it mean something. When I asked my colleagues if they wanted to come with me and raise money for MAP, a programme which we all fully stand behind, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to take psrt. In the end, 18 of us travelled to Wales and reached the summit together. It was a great feeling of achievement and one that I think we all want to experience again.”

The team aimed to raise £1,000, the amount needed to pay for one scholarship for a year. Through the generosity of family and friends, they’ve already beaten their target, but are still collecting donations via Just Giving.