"I am so pleased to see so many friends and colleagues here tonight to support the creation of the Endowment Fund which I am honoured will carry my name.
Thank you to everyone whose generosity has ensured that young Mancunians will be able to access the support they need to find their way in the world. Too many young people need this support and I am delighted that Manchester has been able to show its ability to bring forward a distinctive response to this requirement.
The People of Manchester have been the theme of my speech, I owe them everything and tonight is about supporting the next generation of Mancunians to continue to champion our city and make their mark on the world.
I have every confidence in our city and in its people that the opportunities will be grasped."
Tully Kearney MBE is a member of the GB Para-Swimming team, training at Manchester Aquatics Centre, and our funding in 2021 gave her vital mobility equipment supporting her independence so she could focus on training & studying for her NHS career goals. 3 years on, after suffering disability-related setbacks, Tully has excelled and won two gold medals for Team GB in the 2024 Paris Paralympics!
Roheema is an incredible young woman who we have been supporting since 2022 in her ambition to become a barrister. As a care experienced person she has been motivated to support vulnerable families in similar situations. Not only did our funding grant her the remaining amount she needed to pay for her Bar Practice Course, which she has now completed, we used our networks to secure her a mini-pupillage and a judge marshalling scheme that assisted her in securing pupillage at a top family law set of chambers, standing her in even better stead to succeed.
Eden is a young man from Moston with the voice of an angel, who overcame tragic family circumstances to earn a place at the incredibly selective and prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. We supported Eden to pursue his operatic singing dreams, funding him to take up his studies and continued support with music resources as he enters his final year where he is already earning accolades. As the only person in his entire year from the North of England, let alone North Manchester, we know he will keep smashing stereotypes of what an opera singer should look like!
We have been supporting multi-talented Roshay from Hulme since 2021, when she was in the unfortunate situation of being estranged from family and living in supported accommodation. Our support gave Roshay the tools and courses needed to pursue her dream of becoming a tattoo artist. We are proud to say that (while still tattooing) she is now using her own experiences to support young Mancunians while working at Manchester Youth Zone, and is living accommodation of her own.
Ibrahim is a young man from Levenshulme who applied to the Fund in 2023, aged just 18, for support in his ambition of establishing a halal marketing business. Our funding broke down the financial barriers allowing his talent and ideas to flourish, earning clients and even hiring an employee, meaning he could support his family with household bills. Since that support, he has also earned himself a degree-apprenticeship at PwC in Spinningfields, and after just a year of that he is currently a finalist in the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards 2024!
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