Covid-19 response fund - see the projects being supported

In July, we shared with you the first projects that had been funded by donations to the Covid-19 response fund. Since launching our Covid-19 response fund in May, we've received a number of donations totalling over £19,000 to help provide support for our students, the community, and research.

We are delighted to share with you three more projects that have been made possible thanks to donations from alumni, staff and friends of the University. Over the coming months, we look forward to sharing more details and updates on these projects and others.

Supporting our students

We’re continuing to support students who need help through our existing hardship funds, which have been extended in light of the pandemic. We will ensure this support remains available as long as it is needed. However, with your help, we have been able to do more. 

Providing emergency bursaries to students

The Covid-19 response fund is supporting students with emergency support who are unable to secure part-time work or have lost their job, due to the effects of Covid-19.

One student shares the impact of receiving this vital support at a very difficult time.

"I would like to personally thank everybody involved in donating to the Covid-19 response fund. The emergency bursary has aided me in my effort to move into my own flat following an abusive relationship that became worse during this pandemic. I felt completely trapped in my situation during the lockdown and I thought I had no way out.

"I lost my summer job due to co-workers being diagnosed with coronavirus, and this made my effort to raise the money for my own accommodation feel like an impossible mission.

"I cannot express how appreciative I am that this support is available.

"Thank you so much."

Supporting the community

Solent University prides itself on engaging with and being part of our local community.  As a result, our response to the pandemic has been to reach out a helping hand to those in our local community in most need. With your donations, we have been able to support more.

Providing art by local artists in our city

With the support of Solent’s Covid-19 response fund, Solent’s Showcase Gallery has been able to work with Go!Southampton to deliver ‘Bench’, an exciting new public art commission for Southampton. Sixteen benches on Southampton’s high street have been transformed into works of art by local artists including two Solent staff members and three alumni.

The benches will be installed around the city centre later this month and the project comes at a time when Southampton has launched its bid to become UK City of Culture in 2025.

Supporting research

Research at Solent University is designed to have an impact in the real world and to benefit the local communities we are here to serve. Donations to the Covid-19 response fund are already making a difference in an important area of research.

The forgotten keyworkers: Challenges faced by British seafarers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic 

This project is designed to explore the challenges experienced by British seafarers and provide actionable recommendations for shipping companies, policymakers and front-line charities. The project is run by Solent University lecturer in maritime management Dr Helen Devereux and academic lead in research Emma Wadsworth with funding and collaboration from Nautilus International and the Merchant Navy Welfare Board. Support from the Covid-19 response fund will also help to disseminate the findings and ensure they are viewed by the major stakeholders in the industry.

How to donate

There’s still time for you to make a difference and support our students, local community, and research.

If you are in a position to help, a gift to this vital appeal, no matter how small, enhances the response we offer to those affected by the coronavirus.

Donate now