Notes from the Hatfield Development Officer and Honorary Director of the Hatfield Trust The Hatfield Trust motto is ‘Supporting Students All The Way’ and never has this been more necessary than during this last year. The Trust exists to provide students with opportunities to take part in developmental activities, to support College facilities, and to ensure Hatfield can stand strongly by its #AllOneHatfield ethos and remain as inclusive as possible by providing a range of scholarships, hardship funds and bursaries. We are extremely grateful to our donors who have continued to support the Trust’s activities with generous regular donations, one-off donations and by leaving us gifts in their will. The positive impact of these donations on the Hatfield community cannot be understated. Not only have donations come from alumni and friends of College, but from the communities within our community – the Hatfield Alumni Association and the Senior Common Room. The generosity of both communities has allowed the Trust to channel funds to students and student activities which were struggling due to the effects of the pandemic, and helped to secure the future of our Hatfield Bursaries Scheme, which has supported 90 students to date as we finish its second year and anticipate uptake of the scheme will increase next academic year. Despite the challenges that the pandemic has presented, cancelling student plans and halting career development opportunities such as internships, the Trust has adapted its offering and supported more than 200 students over the last year. Our undergraduate research internship scheme, launched in 2019, 90
moved online with students taking part in 6-8 week placements within their chosen department and funded by the Trust. The support of our community extended from Virtual Careers Conversations to an alumna-hosted internship for Annabel Talco at The Flava People, kicking off the Collaborative Internship Programme. Heading into the 2020-21 academic year, the focus of the Trust turned to supporting students, clubs and societies to adapt to the current climate, whether that be funding to ensure activities were Covid secure or funding student projects where income from part-time jobs was few and far between. We also saw the launch of two new scholarship schemes – the Robin T White 1956 Scholarship and the British Council Women in STEM Scholarship - providing support for undergraduate students from lower income backgrounds and female postgraduate students from South America respectively. We look forward to welcoming these scholars along with two Lioness scholars and three Schon music scholars in September 2021. In the following pages, you will find a selection of reports from student recipients of Trust awards and internship funding from the last year. At the Trust, we are proud of the range of projects we are able to support and look forward to continuing this support with gusto as pandemicfuelled restrictions lift and activity returns to pre-covid levels.
Grace Norman
