Forever Keele 9
Keele Key Fund update
The Keele Key Fund continues to invest in creative, innovative and extraordinary
projects that will have an immediate impact on the campus and enhance the
student experience.
In the last edition of ‘Forever
Keele’, we updated you on the
successful projects from November’s
disbursement of funds, which
included equipment upgrades for
student groups and providing much
needed resources to run awareness
campaigns. Thanks to the generosity
of donations to the Keele Key Fund,
from both alumni and friends of the
University, we were able to hold a
second round of disbursements, this
time in March 2020. We received over
20 applications from staff and students
and were pleased to grant funds for
60% of the applications submitted.
Funding requested was between
£250 and £11,500. Sadly, the majority
of projects approved in this round
of disbursement have been put on
hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The disbursement committee will be
reviewing all successful projects that
were unable to take place.
Those successful projects are as
follows:
• Supporting a student on the
Talented Athlete programme to
participate in the World University
Cross Country Championships
• New equipment for the Women’s
Hockey club to increase
accessibility to new and returning
athletes
• New team equipment for the
Archery Club
• Redeveloping and refurbishment
of the KPA (Keele Postgraduate
Association)
• Sponsoring the Teddy Bear
Hospital with their Community
Health Day, raising awareness of
disabilities
• New laptops and tablets to support
English Language Learning and
Teaching for Asylum Seekers
• Enabling the Gospel Choir to
attend the University Gospel Choir
of the Year 2020 competition
• New equipment for the Judo and
JiuJitsu Clubs
• Purchasing instruments for the
KUMU (Keele University Music
Union) to allow more people to
take part
• Upgrading equipment for the St.
John Ambulance Society to better
train their volunteers
• Supporting the Annual Student
Conference, hosted by the Keele
Student Friends of MSF Society.
Student of the Year Award
The Neil and Gina Smith Student of the Year Award - Winner announced
The Neil and Gina Smith Student
Of The Year Award comprises a
cash award of £5,000 to recognise a
student of outstanding achievement
at Keele University. It is open to all
undergraduate final year students.
Congratulations to the 2019/20 winner,
Euan Malpas-Vernon. Euan currently
studies Geoscience which requires not
only extensive laboratory classes but
extended periods of fieldwork, which
can be challenging and exhausting for
most students. Euan though suffers
from chronic pain syndrome as well
as cancer which has resulted in the
amputation of his right arm along
with undergoing more than 5 major
operations during his time at Keele,
all which required long periods of
recuperation.
As a result, Euan takes strong pain
medication that has adverse effects on
his concentration, daily energy levels
and mobility. Despite this though,
Euan remained cheery and positive,
determined to get a good degree and
go on to a PhD in palaeontology which
he has got lined up at the University of
Manchester.
Independently of his degree Euan has
written several scientific papers for
journals. Euan was nominated for,
and won, the 2018 Jones- Fenleigh
award for Vertebrate Palaeontology
and Comparative Anatomy, where
Euan’s research was presented at
the International SVPCA conference.
Euan is the only undergraduate ever
to win the award, and had to compete
with other candidates all of whom were
at MSc level or beyond.
Beyond Euan’s studies and University,
Euan has been chosen for the
Paralympic Great Britain pistol
shooting team all achieved despite
Euan’s health complications.