Guildhall School Hardship Fund Appeal
The Guildhall School Hardship Fund endeavours to support students who find themselves in financial difficulties. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, applications to this fund have seen an unprecedented increase.
In April 2020, we reached out to our Guildhall community of alumni, donors and fellows, asking them to donate to the fund and support our students. At the time of writing we have raised over £22,000, enabling the School to help more students facing hardship than ever before.
How your support has made a difference
During this pandemic, the number of students applying for support from the Hardship Fund has increased dramatically.
Many have faced loss of income, from part-time jobs or freelance work. Your support has meant that the School was able to offer help to a Drama student. All his work as a successful freelance photographer has been cancelled for the foreseeable future, due to COVID-19, leaving him in a vulnerable position. His family are not in a position to assist him financially and he requested urgent assistance with rent. The Hardship Fund awarded him £800 towards rent and living costs, which will relieve his immediate financial hardship.
The fund has also supported many of our international students who are far from home. A first year music student found herself stuck when the borders to her home country closed due to COVID-19. When she was finally able to obtain a flight, it was much more expensive than usual and cleared her remaining funds completely, leaving her in desperate need. She comes from a single parent family who are unable to assist. The Hardship Fund awarded her £510 to cover the flight costs and some additional living costs until the end of term.
Thank you to all those who have already donated and enabled us to support these students.
If you would like to support this appeal, you can donate online now, by visiting our webpage. Your support will make a real difference to students in need in these exceptional circumstances.