2023-24 Donor Impact Report

Welcome to your latest donor impact report.

1. Welcome.
2. Your impact 2023-24.
3. You're enabling student success.
4. Your lasting legacies.
5. Enriching Entreprenerial Education.
6. Advancing Transformative Research.
7. Fellowships for the Future.

Welcome

It has been a pleasure to see many of you at various events over the past year and to have the chance to celebrate the impact you have had on our University community, the Liverpool City Region and the world.

You are making a transformational difference here at Liverpool, whether you've donated or given your time, you're helping the University realise its ambitions. As we work towards Liverpool 2031, our new strategic framework, your support is helping us ot build on our institution's disctinctive strengths and characteristics and to reach our goals.

Together we’re providing educational opportunities for young people facing disadvantages through the Future Goals campaign, and we’re enabling our future entrepreneurs as we look forward to opening the Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise which seeks to transform the employability of the University’s students, staff and the young people of the Liverpool City Region.

Your generosity is essential in helping us quickly respond to students’ needs as they arise and ensure that every student has equal access to all the opportunities Liverpool has to offer. You’ve also supported transformative research, including a project that seeks to make new discoveries and interventions in Parkinson’s disease, along with further projects to advance nanoscale research and women’s health.

Your continued support is invaluable to our future success and we take pride in our diverse community of donors, volunteers, and legacy pledgers.
Together we are transforming lives, the city and the world.

Thank you,
Professor Tim Jones, Vice-Chancellor
(BSc Hons Chemistry 1985, PhD Chemistry 1989)

Your impact 2023-24

Together you have raised: £10,273,496.

• £1,556,380 has been raised through corporate support.
• £1,743,156 has been raised through legacy donations.
• £3,023,675 has been raised through individuals.
• £3,950,285 has been raised through Trusts and Foundation support.

You’re a part of a community of 1,343 donors!

• You’ve given more than £4,000,000 to support transformative research.
• You’ve supported 5,500 students by donating £440,000 to the Student Fund.
• 441 of you have been giving for more than 10 years!
• 346 DONORS welcomed to our supporter community this year!
• 2,976 of you have generously given more than 9,485 hours of your time!

THANK YOU!

You're enabling student success

Your generosity is making a real difference to students’ lives.

You have made it possible for students from low-income backgrounds to access the Liverpool Bursary and hardship funds. You’ve supported many students this past year, including two Asylum Seeker scholars and eight students’ clubs and societies, helping to enrich students’ time at university and create a lasting impact on their futures.

As you will discover over the next few pages, your support is transforming our students’ lives in so many ways. Thank you.

Lily is a young carer for her mum and a bursary recipient. Thanks to you, she was able to make the most of her Liverpool experience.

How the bursary helped Lily, third year History and Sociology student

“I am so grateful to people like you who so generously donate. It really does create an inclusive environment across the University. Receiving the Liverpool Bursary removed a lot of financial burden and pressure. While I have worked throughout my time at university, the bursary helped me to cut down greatly on my hours and focus on my studies.

Without your support, I would never have been able to visit the University of Georgia which made so many things possible for me. If it wasn’t for your kindness, money would have been a big worry for me, and I would have struggled. I might even have had to drop out completely. Thank you.”

You’re supporting future vets

Your support to the Vet Student Fund is contributing to a much loved part of student life at our School of Veterinary Science.

From funding for academic or extra-curricular activities to grants for well-being and development – your support allows students to explore their passions, gain valuable experience and spend time with leaders in their chosen field of study.

The Liverpool Vet Netball Club is one of several clubs and societies that received funding. Club member Hannah Shanks-Boon said: “Your support has allowed us to train more often and buy new equipment allowing us to accommodate more members at each training session.

Our Vet and All Stars teams achieved some amazing results, securing second and third place in their respective leagues.”

Fellow club member Gabi Shiel added: “Our club is a great outlet for students to exercise in the fresh air and take a break from studying. On behalf of everyone at the club, we’d like to thank you for your support.”

To continue supporting students, please visit: liverpool.ac.uk/giving/student-fund

Your lasting legacies

A legacy is an extraordinary way to celebrate your life, while continuing to support causes that are important to you.

Our legacy supporters shape student experiences and enhance our world-class facilities. We’d like to celebrate the lives of some of our supporters.

Remembering Lionel Stirgess

Renowned architect Lionel Stirgess (BArch 1955, MCD 1956) died in 2022, aged 89. The impact of his dedication to design and architecture, however, will continue; not just in his architectural legacy, but also through his generous gift to Liverpool’s School of Architecture (LSA).

Lionel gained his undergraduate degree from the LSA in 1955, before completing a master’s in Civic Design. From there his talent for design led to the successful refurbishment of global auction house Sotheby’s in London, villas in Regent’s Park and the renovation of a historic house in Suffolk.

Lionel and his partner Craig shared a passion for gardening, opening their garden in Cavenham, Suffolk, to the public, earning recognition on ITV’s Britain’s Best Back Gardens 2004.

In Lionel’s memory, the University is delighted to award the Lionel Stirgess Prizes this year to talented architecture students.

Remembering Dr Roger Manley Francis

“It is nice to leave some kind of legacy... I would like to be remembered by future generations.”- Dr Roger Manley Francis

Through his generous support, Dr Roger Manley Francis (BDS 1968) is enabling other students who share the same passion for dentistry as he did, to achieve their ambitions.

In 1969, a year after graduating from Liverpool’s Dental School, Roger’s career took him overseas to Canada. Here he went on to have a successful career working in a hospital in Ottowa, to a flying dentist in Yellowknife, then working in a hospital residency in Vancouver, before taking up a position at the Department of Veterans Affairs until his retirement in 1995. Outside his career, his adventurous spirit led him and his partner Donna to take up many outdoor pursuits.

Roger died last year and following his wishes, The Dr Roger Manley Francis Oral and Dental Postdoctoral Research Fellowship was established. His generous bequest will enable us to advance oral health, dental innovation and clinical education.

Giving through lifetime, and in legacy

For more than 30 years, Brian Nellist was at the heart of the University’s English Department. He was greatly respected by staff and students, and not only did he enhance students’ studies through his extraordinary standard of teaching, but he was always there to guide them through their time at Liverpool.

While educating the next generation, Brian also gave students the opportunity to excel in their studies by donating £500,000 to provide scholarships. This has had a lasting impact on their lives and careers. One student said the scholarship: “Incited a positive change in my confidence and changed my life.”

Brian ensured his lifetime support could continue through a gift in his Will, enabling mature students to realise their ambitions through a Liverpool degree.

What will your Liverpool legacy be? If you’ve been inspired to leave a gift in your Will, please contact your friendly legacy officer Carolyn Jones at: carolyn.jones@liverpool.ac.uk or 0151 795 1067.

Enriching Entrepreneurial Education

The Unviersity is excited to open the Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise thanks to a generous gift of £1 million from Sir Peter Rigby and The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust.

The centre will aim to transform the employability of our students, Liverpool’s young people, and our academic staff, thanks to serial entrepreneur and the University’s Honorary President for Enterprise, Sir Peter Rigby (Hon LLD 2022).

Entrepreneurship, enterprise and innovation are increasingly recognised as the cornerstones to growth and opportunity creation. Most business leaders see them as crucial contributors to the UK economy. Entrepreneurial flair will be critical in ensuring students and young people can secure opportunities to improve their lives, and the lives of others.

The centre will give students and young people an opportunity to gain practical entrepreneurial skills – whether they want to start a business or become a confident employee. It will build on the global impact of the University’s renowned Management School and Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship, and the brilliant work of our Careers and Employability team.

Our ambition is to reach 50,000 students, local young people and academics with an ambitious programme, spanning ideas generation, guidance on business planning and funding advice.

By encouraging collaboration across the University, this transformational gift will create a tangible step-change in our ability to nurture entrepreneurial thinkers and help transform their big ideas into world-changing innovations.

Tackling Educational Inequalities

Providing access to education with a much-needed new hub for young people.

Thanks to your ongoing support and that of our long-lasting partners Liverpool Football Club Foundation, Everton in the Community, and the Steve Morgan Foundation, the new IntoKirkby centre has opened its doors. The centre supports the £3 million Future Goals campaign creating lifechanging educational opportunities for young people facing disadvantages in Anfield, Kirkby and the surrounding areas.

The centre employs four full-time members of staff and will provide after-school academic support, mentoring with local university students and professionals, in-school aspiration-raising workshops, and enrichment and work experience opportunities.

It follows the success of the IntoUniversity North Liverpool centre in Anfield, which has enabled more than 200 students
to progress to university.

Charlie, a student at the Anfield centre, said: “Since I’ve been coming here my schoolwork has improved and I’ve been more confident putting my hand up and answering questions.”

Matt Parish, Chief Executive of LFC Foundation said: “We are proud to be a part of this fantastic project which, having been part of IntoUniversity North Liverpool and seen the positive impact it has had on so many young people, we are delighted we could help to make this second site happen alongside our partners and we look forward to seeing the impact of this much-needed facility for years to come.”

Advancing Transformative Research

How a £2.5 million donation in memory of Dr Peter Johnson (Hon LLD 2023) is making a difference to people living with Parkinson’s disease.

The University of Liverpool and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust are set to drive forward new discoveries, treatments and interventions in Parkinson’s disease.

The donation, made in memory of the former owner of Everton and Tranmere Rovers football clubs, will endow the joint appointment of a new Peter Johnson Chair in Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders at the University and The Walton Centre, alongside a Clinical Lecturer, Postdoctoral Researcher and PhD Researcher positions. The Johnson Foundation, established by Peter in 1987, works to advance education, preservation and protection of health, and relief of poverty and sickness in the Liverpool City Region.

Chairman of the foundation and Peter’s daughter, Kate Eugeni said: “Our father had fought this disease since 2014 and regularly
talked about not perhaps a cure per se but something that would make for a more comfortable life and a better understanding of the disease. He had been party to all of the initial conversations with the University, asking questions about how this donation could make an impact, and was passionate that this research would happen here in Liverpool. It’s a real sign of hope and determination, showing that we’re making strides towards a cure and a better future for everyone dealing with Parkinson’s.”

The University and The Walton Centre have a wealth of research and clinical expertise in the area of Parkinson’s disease and neurodegeneration and are developing a joint strategy to create and invest in a world-class environment for neuroscience research. Research focused on Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases is a key area for development.

Driving innovation

Thanks to the generosity of the Wolfson Foundation, the University received a huge boost of £800,000 to build and transform the capability of nanoscale science.

The Nano Atomic Force Microscopy-Infrared (nanoAFM-IR) platform has the ability to characterise and match the structure, chemistry and properties of matter down to the nanoscale level. This provides new insights and understanding when it comes to engineering and adapting materials using nanotechnology.

The University aims to use this cuttingedge instrument, the first of its kind in the UK, to open doors for discoveries and technological innovations. Professor Rasmita Raval, from the University’s Department of Chemistry, said: “This new state-of-the-art instrument is a groundbreaking development for research scientists working in advanced surfaces, materials, and interfaces.

“For the first time, nanoscale structurechemistry performance properties will become accessible, which will be transformational across all our major research themes, driving innovation.”

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive at the Wolfson Foundation said: “The University of Liverpool has an impressive roster of material scientists and chemists who are researching and developing the next generation of medical devices, energy storage technologies, and antimicrobial surfaces. We are delighted that this nanoAFM-IR instrument will allow them to understand the interaction of surfaces and materials at the nanoscale in exciting new ways.”

Supporting women’s health

The Geoffrey and Pauline Martin Trust generously donated to support research led by the University and staff at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital to better understand Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM), a painful condition which is experienced by more than 50% of women. This pioneering research, including an analysis of the microbiome, will set objective standards for future research. It will help to identify targets for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions too.” 

Fellowships for the Future

The Fellowship that’s helping brilliant biomedical breakthroughs become successful businesses.

The Dr Peter G. Milner Fellowships for Biomedical Innovation are enabling foundation doctors and core medical trainees to gain experience in the USA’s medical and biopharmaceutical healthcare sector.

Thanks to the generosity of Dr Peter G. Milner (BSc Hons Biochemistry 1978, MBChB 1980), a distinguished physician and alumnus of the University, recent recipients Cian O’Halloran and Andrew Bonsu have been given this career-shaping opportunity. California-based Dr Milner is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renexxion, and a successful cardiologist and entrepreneur.

Dr Milner said: “Liverpool Medical School is a fantastic resource. Appreciating the need for welltrained doctors who have capacity for business, I have granted multiple fellowships over the last few years. My colleagues and I have been very impressed with the medical knowledge of these fellows and their ability to apply it to pharmaceutical research, development, and commercialisation.”

Previous fellow, Dr Stephen McKeever (MRes Biomedical Sciences and Translational medicine 2017, MBChB 2018) shared the impact of the fellowship:

"It has provided its fellows with an opportunity to build upon our medical foundation and opened up a range of experiences within the pharmaceutical industry, such as clinical trial design, regulatory affairs, and fundraising. It’s enhanced my clinical and academic work, as well as my career opportunities.”

Celebrating long-standing supporter, Dr Nelson Yu

The School of Law has recognised the long-standing generosity of alumnus Dr Nelson Yu (Hon LLD 1999) by naming a room in his honour at the School. Dr Yu is a founding partner of law firm Messrs Yu, Tsang & Loong and trustee of the University of Liverpool Graduate Association (Hong Kong) Scholarships fund.

This recognition also celebrates Dr Yu’s continued support through The Nelson Yu Law Scholarship, which is supporting academically excellent students from Hong Kong and mainland China by covering the costs of a three-year Law PhD programme.

"As an asylum seeker living in a hostel, university seemed like an unattainable dream. The bursary transformed my journey and your generosity allowed me to pursue a degree.” - class of 2024 Sociology graduate.

Development and Alumni Relations
giving@liverpool.ac.uk 
+44 (0)151 794 6987
liverpool.ac.uk/giving 

The University is an exempt charity under the terms of the Charities Act 2011 (Exempt charity number: X7758)