Year End Review 2022

Message from the Principal, Julie Sanders

I am very pleased to have joined Royal Holloway, University of London as its new Principal. Royal Holloway’s relationship with our alumni and donors is important and I am excited to be joining your global community.

I am really looking forward to building on the university’s very firm foundations, not just the significant history of the institution, but also all the excellent work that has been undertaken to create an educational and research community of students and colleagues underpinned by values of inclusion, academic excellence and social justice.

There is a great deal to be proud of. Our academics continue to make an impact across the world with the quality of their research. In its independent assessment of the quality of research across UK universities, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 results position Royal Holloway’s research within the top 25% of research overall, with 88% of research judged to be world-leading, or internationally excellent. This is up from 81% in 2014 when the last REF was carried out.

Earlier this year, we opened our new Department for Health Studies to build on the university’s already established world-class research and interdisciplinary collaborations and promote healthier populations and environments. It will give us the chance to develop new areas of growth with leading experts in human health and environmental sectors, working with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Harvard-led

Planetary Health Alliance, whose Northern European Hub is coordinated from Royal Holloway. The new department will welcome its first postgraduate students this academic year, with a new BSc Health Studies in development for entry in September 2023.

The National Student Survey (NSS) 2022 shows that we exceeded the sector average score for overall satisfaction with a score of 79%, higher than 15 of the 22 Russell Group universities which appear in the survey. In addition, we were successful in our bid for funding from the government’s new Turing Scheme, enabling us to offer students over 200 additional work and study placements abroad over the next academic year.

Within these rankings and figures rests the effort and contribution of many teams and individuals, many of whom have been positively impacted by your decision to donate to Royal Holloway. I am pleased to share with you in these pages some of the ways in which your support has made a difference to the lives of current students over the past 12 months.

My colleagues and I would like to thank you for your continued support of the university, it is greatly appreciated, and I hope to meet many of you in the year ahead.

Professor Julie Sanders Principal

Photo: Christopher Owens, christopherjamesowens.com

regular giving The power of

The collective philanthropy of members of our global alumni community achieves great things. Discover how regular donations of all sizes have made a significant impact on our students

When it comes to supporting students in meaningful and creative ways, regular giving is absolutely essential to our success. Monthly donations from our alumni community mean we can plan for the future and ensure that we can offer both current and future generations of students every possible opportunity during their time here at Royal Holloway.

Donations of all sizes make a difference: a sum which may seem modest to you could have a significant impact on the lives of young people when combined with the contributions of other monthly donors. We currently have 398 regular donors, some have recently begun to support the university in this way, while others have been making regular donations for decades.

Dorothy Wedge (BA Hons, English, 1959) has been making regular donations to the university for the past 52 years. She was one of 16 English undergraduates when Royal Holloway was a women’s college with just 300 students.

Dorothy began donating when she started her teaching career, specialising in working with children under five and their families. “It was my father who encouraged me to become a regular donor to the College,” she says. “He said I’d been part of it and it was important to his mind to continue to be a very small part of it by making a donation. So that’s what I did, and have continued to do.”

The money received from Dorothy and other donors to the Greatest Needs Fund has supported projects including the Get Started Award, a bursary available exclusively to students at our local priority target schools who meet specific criteria as part of our Widening Access strategy. One-off cash awards of £1,250 each are available to 14 students in their first year or Integrated Foundation Year. Recipients may use the money to purchase essential items, equipment, books or software which will have a demonstrable impact on their start at university.

Regular giving has also supported the campus-based and student-led Legal Advice Centre, which offers free legal advice to the local community and provides our students with invaluable work experience. Working under the supervision of a practising solicitor and supported by volunteer solicitors from five partner law firms, the participating students give back to the local community by offering much-needed support to often extremely vulnerable people.

In addition, regular donations have enabled us to support individual students who face financial challenges in accessing clubs and societies. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are statistically less likely to engage in

extra-curricular activities. A report from The Sutton Trust indicated the further damaging effect the pandemic has had. The costs associated with joining sports clubs, in particular, can act as a barrier to entry for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. By offering contributions to membership costs, support with kit purchasing, assistance with competition costs and access to events we have been able to ensure equality of opportunity.

Being a regular donor helps Dorothy to stay informed about the university. She says, “It’s been very interesting to read about the developments at Royal Holloway over the years, and I’m especially pleased that there are so many more people from different backgrounds now. When I see the photographs I’m really delighted.

By becoming a regular donor, you can show your support for Royal Holloway and our core purpose to provide our students with an inspirational higher education which expands minds and changes lives, whatever their means or social background. We are hugely grateful for regular donations of all sizes and would like to extend special thanks to those donors who have supported us with regular donations for many years.

If you would like to become a regular donor, please visit royalholloway.ac.uk/donate-now

“Making a regular donation to Royal Holloway has been important to me because I have happy memories from a special place. But it’s also about continuity. It’s good to know you are making a contribution, however small, to the students who are there now.”

Dorothy Wedge

Herringham

Celebrating a decade of the Scholarship

When James Dixon decided to enrol on a part-time Masters course in Modern History at Royal Holloway in 2002, little did he know that some 20 years later he would be helping other History scholars to continue their academic careers.

During his studies, James discovered a deeper personal connection to the university whilst researching his great-great-grandfather, George Dixon, who was an eminent education reformer and contemporary of Thomas Holloway. Although he had a vague awareness of a distant relative called Lady Christiana Herringham, James was astonished to learn that the portrait of the formidable gentleman glowering from the walls in the Dining Room was of Sir Wilmot Herringham, her husband. Sir Wilmot was Chairman of Bedford College Council from 1920 to 1938 and left a collection of his wife's paintings, library and oriental artefacts to Bedford College, now in the Royal Holloway Collection.

In honour of his ancestors, James Dixon generously donated to the History Department in 2012 to fund the Herringham Scholarship for Masters students and three are now awarded annually. “As a mature student myself almost 20 years ago, and having found that to have been a most fulfilling experience, I wanted others to be able to share a similar advancement in their lives,” says James of his decision to fund the scholarship.

Thanks to James’s generosity, over the past decade 24 students have received a tuition fee reduction of up to £7,900 – a sum which has made enrolling on a Masters degree possible. For Mari, one of the first recipients, the Herringham Scholarship was essential. “I simply wouldn’t have been able to do the Masters otherwise,” she says.

“I really wanted to do it – it was something I knew would take me to the places I wanted to go but the only way I’d be able to afford it was if my parents re-mortgaged their house!”

As one of four children and with three of them at university, that wasn’t a possibility.

“The Herringham Scholarship opened up possibilities which wouldn’t have otherwise been open to me – it was really fantastic that James Dixon was able to provide this opportunity.”

Mari went on to become a history teacher at a secondary school in West Sussex and is now a national campaign manager for the National Education Union. “Having a Masters certainly helped me get into the school I went to work for and made me stand out when I applied for my role at the National Education Union,” she says. “I’ve since moved

Established in 2012 by alumnus and Honorary Fellow James Dixon, the Herringham Scholarship has enabled dozens of students to pursue their dreams of further study

Left to right, Sophie, Paul Layzell, Mari and James Dixon

up the ranks quite quickly here, and certainly I think my Masters has very much helped my career.”

During her teaching career, Mari would regularly take her sixth form students to open days at Royal Holloway to broaden their horizons and encourage their aspirations. “One of my former students later emailed me to tell me she was studying at Royal Holloway, which was lovely to hear.”

For 2021 scholar Victoria, the scholarship was a great boost to her confidence. “When I learned that I’d been awarded the Herringham Scholarship I was absolutely overjoyed and couldn’t quite believe it. Not only in regards to the generous financial support, but also for the fact that it shows a strong belief in my academic potential,” she says.

“Through the support of this scholarship, I plan to visit a range of different archives and museums in order to

conduct my research, and will ideally be well-prepared to eventually pursue a PhD. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have been given, one that I’m sure will allow and encourage me to perform to my absolute best while at Royal Holloway.”

“Supporting students to continue with their academic studies is a rewarding experience”, says James. “After the recent restrictions in lifestyles imposed by the pandemic, now is the time to enable young people once more to explore further the world in which they live.”

If you would like to discuss supporting a scholarship at Royal Holloway, please contact development@royalholloway.ac.uk

Victoria

The gift of music

Music at Royal Holloway is as old as the university itself and continues to go from strength to strength. We offer myriad ensembles of all shapes, sizes and genres, including a Symphony Orchestra, Chapel Choir, Chamber Orchestra, and New Music Collective.

For Ellie, who graduated this year, receiving a choral scholarship was transformative.

“My scholarship has given me confidence I never even realised was there. These days I can sing a solo in choir without my heartbeat rising even a little. When I came to Royal Holloway I didn’t even know I had a voice (a hypothetical voice in this case!). I thought I was a shy person and I’d made peace with that. As a choral scholar I realised I had a voice, and over the course of the four years I’ve held the scholarship I’ve learned how to use it.”

Ellie hosted the launch party for the BBC Proms in April and now sings with both Genesis Sixteen and Chineke! Voices.

As the only university that still maintains a tradition of daily sung morning services, choral music is an integral part of the unique character of Royal Holloway and we are proud to offer the Royal Holloway Chorus, Founder's Choir and renowned Choir of Royal Holloway, known as Chapel Choir.

Considered to be one of the finest mixed-voice collegiate choirs in Britain, Chapel Choir’s reach goes far beyond the concert hall. With the busiest schedule of commercial recording of any university choir, their considerable and critically acclaimed catalogue of recordings on the Hyperion label have given them a global impact. The number of Spotify streams of Chapel Choir’s tracks has increased 60% this year alone, with an additional 2 million streams.

All undergraduate and postgraduate students of any subject can apply for a Choral scholarship, which is worth up to £700 a year and is usually held for three years. “It’s such an honour to be a Choral scholar at Royal Holloway and it’s given me so many new opportunities,” says one of our first year choral scholars. “Singing with the same group of people every week means the choir is like my second family, I’ve made lifelong friends and connections.”

“Choral scholarships at Royal Holloway provide outstanding opportunities for specialist choral training that is highly valued in the music industry,” says Rupert Gough, Director of Choral Music and Organist at Royal Holloway. “I am proud to say that our former scholars can always be seen performing with any of the country’s finest choirs, from Prince Philip’s funeral at Windsor Castle to The Sixteen.”

The Royal Holloway Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of internationally acclaimed conductor Rebecca Miller, meets weekly and gives three concerts per year in the Windsor Auditorium. The orchestra endeavours to create a lively, challenging, and social basis for orchestral life at Royal Holloway and comprises students from across the university. They participate in side-by-side programmes with professional musicians, including the London Mozart

With our rich musical heritage, Royal Holloway is continuing to support generations of musicians through a combination of scholarships, world-class tuition and performance opportunities

Ellie

Players, with whom they performed at Shoreditch Town Hall in February, and through our unique partnership with the Chiltern Music Academy.

Our Orchestral scholarships are open to students on all courses and offer the unique opportunity to combine intensive high-level orchestral performance with a broader university experience, while also receiving a yearly cash sum of £700.

A 2022 orchestral scholar said, “My orchestral scholarship has allowed me to further my musical development at Royal Holloway throughout this year in many ways. Particularly helpful was the ability to have consultation lessons throughout the year. Instrumental servicing was crucial to being able to play at my best; and attending concerts in London, including La Bohème and Swan Lake, serve to inspire me.”

“The Orchestral scholarship provides an invaluable opportunity for our students to work intimately alongside professional orchestral musicians,” says Rebecca Miller. “Our in-depth side-by-side experiences provide real-time and in-situ training in leadership, communication, teamwork,

Supporting

and listening skills, and bolster the confidence of our players and the performance results far beyond expectations. In addition, the apprenticeship training they receive equips them with the skills not only to improve their own performance in orchestra, but also to be able to process the advice and pass it onto younger players.”

If you would like to discuss supporting a choral or orchestral scholarship at Royal Holloway, please contact development@royalholloway.ac.uk

success

Our long-standing partnership with Santander Universities has benefitted more than 300 Royal Holloway students, often offering a life-changing impact through their support. In total, Santander UK has donated over £1m to Royal Holloway. The power of these donations cannot be overstated.

A division of Santander UK, Santander Universities collaborates with a large network of university partners to remove barriers to higher education for students whose ambitions aren’t always matched by their means. We’ve supported 70 students through scholarships and more than 60 have received transformative internships through employability initiatives.

Our Widening Access Scholarship, provided by Santander, is available in the first year of study to eligible UK students applying for any undergraduate degree course from a group under-represented in higher education. The ten successful applicants are awarded £2,400 each, which helps to ease the financial burden of higher education, says 2021 Widening Access scholar Molly.

“In addition, this scholarship has already increased my self-esteem, being from a disadvantaged background, and given me the confidence boost I needed to believe in myself and my bright future. Without a doubt, it will contribute to reaching my aspirations and goals,” says Molly.

Santander Universities’ donations have also enabled students to travel overseas and have provided support for entrepreneurship via Royal Holloway’s Enterprise Hub, which was set up to support the development and championing of a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship within the university and local community. The hub provides all Royal Holloway students with the chance to learn entrepreneurial skills, such as recognising opportunities, developing ideas, leveraging resources and putting plans into action.

Additionally, support has been directed towards Royal Holloway’s Open Minds programme, which offers short work placements to students with mental health or communication difficulties. Many of the placements were generated and supervised by Royal Holloway alumni. The programme offers students the opportunity to develop confidence, communication, time-management and selfmotivation skills and was introduced because students with mental health conditions or social communication impairment are currently less likely to progress to further study or graduate-level employment.

If you or your organisation would be interested in supporting Royal Holloway employability schemes, please contact development@royalholloway.ac.uk

Royal Holloway’s 15-year partnership with Santander Universities has enabled us to offer invaluable support to our students, empowering them to take up opportunities while studying and preparing them for their future careers

Get Started Ready steady

The spirit of inclusion with which both Royal Holloway and Bedford College were founded continues to thrive. We are committed to ensuring there is equality of opportunity for under-represented groups to access a world-class university education at Royal Holloway. We do this in a variety of ways through our Widening Access strategy, at the forefront of which is the Get Started awards.

These awards, nine of which were made in 2021, provide a one-off payment of £1,250 for an eligible student’s first year or Integrated Foundation Year. Our goal is to be able to support 20 students each year by 2025.

To ensure the awards go to the most deserving students, applicants must attend a Widening Access priority target school as well as meeting at least one further Widening Access criterion. These include: living in a lower participation in higher education neighbourhood; having a disability; or having been in care for more than three months. The funds enable students to purchase essential equipment to improve their initial experience at university, and relieve financial worries which might have made them reconsider pursuing higher education.

“The Get Started award has allowed me to put my mind at ease and focus on my course,” says 2021 scholar Abdirahman.

“Get Started continues to be an in-demand award for incoming students at Royal Holloway from underrepresented groups,” says Jonathan Plummer, the university’s Widening Access Manager. “It is also evidence that our outreach programme of activities is reaching the right students and that a real connection with Royal Holloway is being established.”

The Get Started awards would not be possible without the generosity of individual donors from our alumni community and the collective philanthropy of those alumni who support the Greatest Needs fund.

"My experience at Royal Holloway, and the benefit of fantastic teachers, gave me the confidence to pursue a career in finance and I have been fortunate to travel all over the world and meet people from all walks of life,” says Get Started donor Nick Perryman (BSc Psychology, 1997), who is Vice Chair of College Council and serves on the Finance Committee.

“Going to university is a life-enriching experience and I am delighted to support the Get Started awards so that those less advantaged may have the same opportunities I’ve had to pursue their ambitions and fulfil their personal and professional potential.”.

For

royalholloway.ac.uk/donate-now

Gianina, Head of Careers

Thanks to the generous support of our alumni community, we are levelling the playing field for would-be students from all backgrounds

Another 2021 scholar, Rabina, agrees.

“Without the support, I would have the stress of finance in the back of my mind, hindering the beginning of my university experience” she says.

“Fortunately, it has made the most significant difference.”

Rabina

Nick Perryman

Date Signature

Legacy giving, a lasting impact

Leaving a gift, of any size, in your Will is a wonderful way to both celebrate a life and commemorate your connection to Royal Holloway and Bedford New College. Every gift is valued and will help us to support students for generations to come.

Remembering us in your Will may reduce the inheritance tax on your estate, due to our charitable status. Royal Holloway and Bedford New College is an exempt charity in England and Wales and our tax exempt number is XN69536. Choosing to leave just 1% of your estate would make an enormous difference and would still ensure that 99% is left to those closest to you.

Please share your intentions with us so that we may thank you. You can use the boxes below and return this form to us at the address overleaf or email development@rhbnc.ac.uk.

I have left a gift to The Bedford Society Scholarships Fund/College in my Will

I am interested in hearing more about leaving a gift in my Will