Donor stories

After graduating at Birmingham, Christopher Pring went on to a long teaching career in the UK and to as far as New Zealand.

Chris had huge passion for mathematics but studying at university simply wouldn't have been possible without his mother. She worked tirelessly to save enough for Chris to come to Birmingham and he knew his life would have been entirely different if it wasn't for her support. Chris was determined that finances wouldn't prevent others being able to fulfil their own dreams and chose to leave a gift to Birmingham in his will to support students and provide the opportunity for others to follow in his footsteps.

Joan Simons studied at Birmingham during the Second World War: a time of great uncertainty.

Joan did not let this phase her, however, and she found positivity through the darkness of the time. One memorable story that she told her family is that she refused to go into the air-raid shelter during bombing raids, preferring to take a book and a bottle of whiskey into the cupboard under the stairs!

She came from humble beginnings and her studies were financed by an inheritance, so she knew she could not afford to fail any exams. Luckily, she passed with flying colours and graduated in 1946. She was a staunch supporter of education, for her daughters in particular, but also as a general concept. This was reflected in the generous gift that she left in her will to the Medical School, which went towards Professor Paul Moss' research.

Professor Paul Moss' research group specialises in research-based around the immunology of cancer, transplantation and viral infection, including the immune response to leukaemia and lymphoma, as well as pancreatic, ovarian and testicular cancers. These cancers affect millions of people worldwide, so this research is intrinsically important and could save countless lives. Professor Moss expressed his gratitude for this and other legacy gifts, saying: 'Revolutionary personalised cancer treatments developed in Birmingham are helping us manage and treat cancer much more effectively. Legacy gifts like Joan's help us continue to be at the forefront of the latest cancer treatments.'

Joan's family know that she would be delighted in how her legacy is being used. 'Mum would be delighted and interested in how her legacy is being used. She maintained an interest in medical and science matters beyond her retirement. We in the family are pleased as a majority of our senior family have succumbed to malignancies.'

The gift in her will was the perfect way of continuing her life's passion and ensuring that her memory lives on in the impact that Professor Moss' research will have on future patients. As Joan undoubtedly improved and saved lives during her career in medicine, she continues to do so now - a powerful legacy to leave.

Leonard Liebling was a passionate believer in the NHS and the provision of outstanding healthcare.

Through a generous gift in his will, the Leonard Liebling Prizes in Pharmacy and Nursing were established to promote outstanding students in these subjects and encourage their route to become healthcare professionals. Leonard's gift recognises today's students for the role they will play in the future of our health service and the many people they will go on to help in their careers. His family are incredibly proud of Leonard and his legacy at Birmingham: 'The named prize means the world to us. It is not just his name that lives on, it is his spirit.'

Oliver (Olly) Beswetherick was a very special young man who studied with us here at Birmingham and achieved a first-class honours BSc, the John Butterfield Prize for outstanding performance in his final Honours examination, and an MSc with distinction in Molecular Biotechnology, finishing his studies in 2019.

As well as excelling in the sciences, he also had a natural talent and a passion for music. Playing the piano was one of his greatest loves, and he was extremely gifted. You can hear Olly playing the piano on YouTube. Olly was a kind and loving person, with a great sense of humour, who stood up for what he believed in. Sadly, despite his successes, he battled with his mental health for many years and unfortunately lost his life to suicide in 2020, aged just 24. 

His family are determined to raise awareness in Olly’s memory to help other people who are struggling as he did. They very generously set up a prize in Olly's name and also donated a piano for students to use here at Birmingham. Their aim was to continue spreading Olly's light and positivity, while being honest about his struggles in the hope that other young people fighting with their mental health might seek help. It is so important to acknowledge that mental health struggles can occur at any time to anyone, no matter how outwardly happy they might appear.

The piano donated by the Beswetherick family has been placed in the multi-faith Chaplaincy. Alex Ferranti, who works at the Chaplaincy, says that the piano "has made a real positive impact to the lives of many of our students". It is particularly important as pianos are not widely accessible by students who are not enrolled in the Music Department.

A student who regularly uses the piano has been particularly impacted by it: 'As a foreign student coming from France for a year in England, I could not bring my piano with me in my luggage! Music being such an important aspect of my life, I was really missing it before I found the chapel to play in. I feel a real need to play the piano to be able to escape, sometimes to feel less sad because I am far from my family. I think that thanks to the piano, I am able to find a balance that suits me between my life at the University and my personal life in this new country.'

Many other students from similar backgrounds have highlighted their experiences of having their wellbeing improved by playing the piano, and the Chaplaincy are very grateful to the family for the wonderful and inspiring gift.

Olly's family travelled to Birmingham to meet the latest recipient of the Olly Beswetherick prize, Kamila Orzechowska. The prize is awarded for the best research project in Molecular Biotechnology, and Kamila said that the award has improved her self-confidence: 'I have been considering applying for PhD studies in the future, however, this achievement "pushed" me to do it sooner. I am very grateful I could meet Olly's parents and the founder of the award in person.'

The generosity of Olly's family in his memory has touched many students and will continue to do so for years to come. Olly really cared about helping people and it is wonderful that his spirit will endure at Birmingham.

Zoe loved Birmingham, the place and the University, and many of the people she met there became lifelong friends.

She was passionate about Archaeology and Ancient History and while she knew she would never get a job using it, this interest stood her in good stead enriching her later travels to places such as Syria and Jordan.

Zoe's lifelong passion was travelling. Immediately after graduating, she taught English in Ghana through Voluntary Services Overseas. A year working for the Royal College of Physicians followed before the lure of West Africa called her back where, between 1969 and 1972, she was the PA for the Vice Chancellor of the Amadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. A life-changing experience.

Zoe remained in education for the majority of her career, with her final role being Academic Registrar for The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She held a variety of roles with the Council for National Academic Awards rising to Head of Conferment and time in administrative roles for the Royal College of Art.

It was Zoe's love of travelling and adventure though that dominated her life. She described herself as being lucky enough to have seen and sometimes lived in some wonderful places before the concrete block hotels and fish and chips of mass tourism took over. Here's just a taste - 20 trips to Cyprus, 20 to Spain, even more to France, plus India, Egypt, Lebanon, Hong Kong, Syria and many, many more. Travelling and meeting so many people gave her a wide-angle lens on life; nourishing and sustaining her.

Despite Zoe passing in 2018, her gift is supporting the challenge of COVID-19 and the threat of future pandemics. Her wish was to support scientific research and her gift is helping to fund vital PhD research across a number of different areas:

• Kerensa Ward, working under the supervision of Professor Alex Richter, worked in a diagnostic lab during the pandemic to support testing. With the support of gifts like Zoe's, she is now a PhD student investigating the impact COVID-19 has on our body's immune system – most notably for sufferers of long COVID.
• Research in our School of Education into the use of technology to ensure everyone has access to learn remotely during the pandemic, so the disruption to education is minimised. Bethan Morris-Tran has received funding for a PhD in the School of Education – more information is available.
• A new dentistry PhD studentship to explore the implications of COVID-19 on the profession.

While her family do not know why Zoe chose to support scientific research with a gift in her will, they believe that she would have been pleased to know that her gift was being used in a pivotal role in the global challenge to beat COVID-19. Zoe's niece, Kate, told us what it meant to them as a family to see Zoe's gift put into action: 'The fact that there were student volunteers as well as paid scientists would also have resonated with her. We are sure Zoe would have been pleased to know that her legacy was being used to improve life for future generations.'

Zoe could never have predicted a worldwide pandemic, but she would have been thrilled to know that she had left money to help solve a global issue that didn’t even exist at the time of making her will. No one knows what the future holds, but there will always be someone who needs help and a problem that needs to be solved.

Sir Gabriel Horn, an eminent neuroscientist, made significant contributions to neuroscience, particularly in learning and memory. Rising from a working-class background in Birmingham, he pursued medicine at the University of Birmingham, later becoming Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Cambridge. Knighted in 2002, he was a Fellow of the Royal Society and received its Gold Medal in 2001. In his personal life, Gabriel cherished family, loved acting as Father Christmas each year, enjoyed poetry readings, and exhibited paintings.

The University of Birmingham was extremely grateful to learn that Sir Gabriel and Prill had generously left a gift to the College of Medical and Dental Sciences to support medical students. The Gabriel Horn Bursaries were established in 2022, seeking to address the most pressing challenges facing students at the time.

His children say that he often talked to them about the gratitude he felt for the education he received at Birmingham, an education that was instrumental in launching him on the path to his distinguished career. They know that their father and stepmother would be delighted and excited to know that their gift was being used to provide security for those completing their studies in medicine.

The bursaries support fifth year medical students who needed it the most in the face of the cost-of-living crisis – namely those from low-income households. The £500 bursary was a lifeline for many, helping to cover the increased costs of energy, fuel and food during their final year studies and work placements. In total, 93 bursaries were awarded. One student who benefitted says: ‘This bursary will allow me to put the heating on and will contribute to food costs.’

In the first year alone, the generosity of Sir Gabriel and Prill has helped nearly 100 medical students to overcome the challenge of the cost-of-living crisis and fulfil their potential and become part of the next generation of doctors and researchers. The students not only benefit financially, but graduate knowing that they have benefitted from the generosity of a world-renowned scientist and a proud graduate of the University of Birmingham. With this support, they have been given the best opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Sir Gabriel and go one to help achieve outstanding achievements – and help many people along the way.

Philip Eden, who earned his BA in Geography in 1972 and his MSc in Geography in 1973, was a prominent British weather journalist and weather historian.

His journey as a radio weather presenter commenced at LBC, the then London station, in 1983. Later, from 1994 to 2005, he served as the chief network weather presenter for BBC Radio 5 Live. Eden contributed a weekly column to the Sunday Telegraph from 1986 until 2015 and authored several books focusing on British weather and climate.

From 2007 to 2009, Philip Eden held the position of Vice President at the Royal Meteorological Society. In 2000, he was honoured with the society's Gordon Manley Weather Prize for his exceptional contributions to weather-related publications and public understanding of meteorology and oceanography.

During his lifetime, Eden established the Eden Observatory Trust, aiming to perpetuate the meteorological record from his climatological station at Whipsnade in Bedfordshire. Unfortunately, due to illness, he couldn't continue the record and passed away in January 2018. In his trust, it was specified that the remaining funds were to be gifted to the Department of Geography at the University of Birmingham. The sum was augmented by Philip's brothers, David and John Eden, resulting in a substantial bequest to the university. A ceremony commemorating Philip Eden took place at the University of Birmingham on 8 September 2023.

Following discussions between the University, Philip’s family, and the surviving Trustees of the Eden Observatory Trust, it was decided to utilise the gift in three ways:

Establishing The Philip Eden Prize in Applied Meteorology and Climatology, a £500 annual award to the top-performing student on the MSc Applied Meteorology and Climatology course at Birmingham.

Creating The Philip Eden Postgraduate Scholarship, offering a one-off sum of £1,000 to a high-achieving University of Birmingham undergraduate applying for the MSc Applied Meteorology and Climatology course.

Contributing to a data rescue project to collect, catalogue, digitise and publish Birmingham’s weather records, including the long record from Edgbaston Observatory (1894–1979, with sub-daily synoptic observations from 1923).

The School of Geography, Life and Environmental Sciences have expressed their gratitude for the gift: “We have long talked about the need for a prize on our master’s course and now, for the first time in its 60-year history, we finally have one - all thanks to the generosity of the Eden family.”

Philip's generosity and final wishes ensure that the future generation of meteorologists will benefit from prizes and scholarships in his honour.

William, or Bill as he was known, was a prominent figure in the School of Chemical Engineering from 1964 until he passed away in 2016. He moved to the UK from Australia in 1960, and Birmingham and the University quickly became his home for life. He lectured in process analysis, thermodynamics and mass transfer and his research activity included mass transfer mechanisms and mixing and mass transfer. By 1975 his publications list had grown to 25 papers.

After moving to a part-time contract in the late 1980s, he fully retired from the University in 1993. This did not, however, dampen his enthusiasm for Chemical Engineering, and he spent virtually every day on campus as an Honorary Senior Lecturer. This appointment was renewed every year without fail and was still in place when he died. He excelled at proof-reading exam papers, and answered the questions himself to identify errors, ambiguities and missing information. This expertise and scrupulous attention to detail is sorely missed.

Bill only had a few members of extended family in the UK, but he found lifelong friends in his colleagues. Professor Joe Biddlestone developed a strong and lasting friendship with Bill after they worked alongside one another for 50 years, or 12,000 working days. Joe organised Bill’s funeral, and a reception was held at the University. Joe stated that ‘home for [Bill] really was Chemical Engineering, his flat was a place to sleep’, so it was only fitting that his part of the celebration of his life was held there.

As much as Bill’s hard work and care lives on at Birmingham in the memories of students and staff alike, his legacy endures beyond that. A gift in Bill’s will for £100,000 has established the Bill McManamey endowment, which is supporting two students every year. The Bill McManamey scholarship is awarded to Chemical Engineering students demonstrating excellent academic performance and for making outstanding contribution to the life of the School and University. A student receiving the award in 2021 described it as ‘the highlight of [her] year’.

Bill devoted his life to the University, and his legacy gift is a fitting way to ensure that this dedication lives on even though Bill cannot be here to see it in person. Students for generations to come will benefit from Bill’s generosity and passion for education.