Opportunity Fund

Thanks to the generosity of alumni donors, St Chad’s was able to support Chad’s students to take part in extra-curricular activities with a total of £4,964 awarded to a total of 76 students. Here are a few of their acknowledgements:

• The opportunities fund enabled me to continue my membership of the college boat club. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, even when it is dark and freezing cold when we are out on the water. Thank you for your generosity for this fund, which has given me access to a range of activities within the boat club that have been both challenging but also given me many positive memories.

• I wanted to express my gratitude to St Chad’s for its support through the Opportunities Fund. As a liver-out, who did not drive at the time, I found it extremely exhausting taking the train in and out of Durham every day. Although the train journey itself was not that long, the logistics around it were dangerous and tiring. Late at night, I would walk to and from the station in the dark and often alone after a busy day at college. My bags were always heavy in preparation for my plans for the entire day ahead, as I could not afford to go back and forth from my home. Thanks to the Opportunities Fund, I was able pass my driving test for the first time, with no minors! I used the money to book my test and pay for a cancellation app to bring my test forward. Stress-free, I now drive to and from university safely and don’t have to think about missing my trains, how much daylight is outside, if I have enough strength to carry my laptop and netball gear at once and more

• I applied to the Opportunities Fund and was absolutely blown away by the support the college offered me. The donation meant that I could fully participate in boat club free from the anxiety of financial burden, helping me to feel reintegrated into the Chad’s community and allowing me to take part in a sport which I love so much.

• Currently, I receive no financial support from my parents, solely relying on my student loan and the Durham grant. For the past year, I’ve relied on the opportunities fund to allow me to do the things that I love, and I couldn’t be more grateful to receive it.

• Thanks to the Opportunities Fund, I was able attend St Chads College Winter Ball 2025 and St Chads College Hope Ball 2025. This was my final opportunity to attend these balls – last year I could not due to financial reasons. Being able to attend really helped to round out my Durham university experience.

• I had the rather large opportunity last term to attend a three-day conference at another university to meet and interact with researchers on their work related to my dissertation topic. Much to my own realisation, I was without formal attire, lacking a pair of long-lasting shoes to network at such an event. The Opportunity Fund was kind enough to help me prepare for the academic opportunity by providing shoes I would otherwise not be able to afford, or that would not be of good enough quality for future interviews, conferences, or formal settings. Thank you for helping me look and feel prepared for my first conference.