To celebrate Baroness Blood’s legacy, a new bursary scheme has been set up for doctors and nurses. At home, she was a leading light in Northern Ireland’s education and community development landscape. This is a great initiative to encourage and enable young people from the wider Shankill area to realise their ambitions and enter the education of their choice. The bursary is worth £1,000 for students on a full-time course and £500 for part-time students.
Baroness Blood, who was born in 1938. Fifteen-year-old Mary Brown in the former Blackstaff Linen Mill on Springfield Road, west Belfast, circa 1970. During her life, she fought for and helped create integrated education in Northern Ireland and was at the forefront of helping local communities. As the first director of the Argyle Business Centre on the Shankill Road she focused on building economic bridges. She prioritized training local residents.
In 1999, Baroness Blood again made history by being the first woman in Northern Ireland to be awarded a life peerage. She accepted with pride the honorific title of Baroness Blood of Blackwatertown. Her contributions extended well past the corporate world. In the 1990s, she was a co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition and redefined the art of politicking. When the linen mill she worked at folded, she started a training initiative for long-term unemployed men in the Shankill Road area. This collaborative initiative demonstrates her commitment to supporting inclusive community growth and development.
Baroness Blood’s legacy continues to inspire change. She died in 2022 at 84 years of age. Her legacy still looms large over educational and social justice equity efforts. The bursary scheme is just one example of her commitment to supporting others in need.
A recent graduation celebration on Ulster University’s Belfast campus celebrated the success of nearly 30 of these young people, drawn from the greater Shankill area. These students were awarded bursaries to support their educational costs. Sir Reg Empey, a director of the Argyle Business Centre, emphasized the significance of the bursary scheme, stating that it represents “the best way to mark Baroness Blood’s legacy.”
As one of the first bursary recipients, Jack McCullough provided some insight on how impactful the bursary is.
“Other people, they have advantages that I don’t but this bursary helps with that.” – Jack McCullough
He underscored the financial burdens COVID has exacerbated for students, especially in response to the need to acquire proper technology to continue pursuing their education.
“For my course specifically it requires a really robust laptop that can run specific computing software.” – Jack McCullough
Kiera Pollock, another bursary recipient, shared how youth services had impacted her by broadening her worldview and exposing her to new opportunities.
“I was quite a shy, quiet girl when I was growing up and youth work services really opened my mind to what I could do.” – Kiera Pollock
Pollock similarly observed how the bursary inspires students to further their studies.
“I want to do the same in my career.” – Kiera Pollock
Sir Reg Empey was absolutely right to highlight the barriers too often encountered by young people from working-class backgrounds.
“It gives you that incentive to go on and go to university.” – Kiera Pollock
James Hunter, another fellow in the program, expressed his wish to be able to represent his community on the map.
“A lot of people are put off going into further and higher education because of the cost.” – Sir Reg Empey
The polluting effect of stigma around education in working-class communities was further brought to attention during the ceremony. Most would agree that these kinds of perceptions turn young people away from seeking a higher education.
“I would like to be the voice for people to raise their concerns.” – James Hunter
Ms. Pollock really brought home this stigma. She shared how so many people from her community end up feeling simply unwelcome in the college environment.
“I feel like there needs to be a little bit more investment in the community.” – James Hunter
This bursary scheme is a real and significant development towards addressing these issues. Above all, it guarantees that young people in Northern Ireland will have the chance to benefit from world-class educational experiences.
Ms. Pollock remarked on this stigma, stating that individuals from her community often feel they do not belong in university settings.
“I live in an interface so it’s a stigma that a lot of people wouldn’t go to university or they would drop out of school young.” – Kiera Pollock
The launch of this bursary scheme marks a significant step toward addressing these challenges and ensuring that young people in Northern Ireland have access to educational opportunities.
