Raheem Sterling has announced details of a new scholarship scheme created to help close the gap in the number of Black British students who go to university.
The former Manchester City star will pay for 14 students to go to university, as the Raheem Sterling Foundation partners with the University of Manchester and Kings College London.
The aim of the brilliant scheme is to close the attainment gap for Black British students, increase social mobility, and support equal access to higher education.
Raheem said he hopes the scholarships will be a ‘real game changer’ over the coming years.
Young people in Greater Manchester and Greater London can apply for the scholarships now, with the first round available for students starting their degrees in the upcoming academic year.
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According to data, less than 5% of all UK students starting undergraduate degrees at Russell Group universities were Black. The 28-year-old football star now wants to break down that stat and help people from underrepresented backgrounds gain access to greater education.
Raheem said: “This opportunity will help young people access further education and present them with experiences and opportunities that will enhance their future career prospects.
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The scholarships are the latest development from the Raheem Sterling Foundation. Credit: HideOut Youth Zone/Raheem Sterling Foundation
“I hope this initiative will be a real game changer over the next few years and I am delighted to be working with two of the finest universities in the world.
“I wish the recipients of our funding all the very best and look forward to meeting everyone on campus in Manchester and London later this year.”
Clive Ellington, Chair of Trustees, said: “’At the Raheem Sterling Foundation, we believe that access to better education and employment opportunities should be made fair to all young people regardless of financial circumstances and background.
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“The work we do is in pursuit of improving their opportunities, future careers and quality of life and we won’t rest until we succeed in Raheem’s vision of achieving this.
“’Partnering with two of the UK’s most outstanding universities, whose strive for change mirrors that of ours, is a real highlight in our journey to date, and we couldn’t be happier to announce our commitment to them and the students over the next three years.’”
President and Vice-Chancellor at The University of Manchester Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell commented: ‘”The Raheem Sterling Foundation partnership will give us additional support to enable talented Black students to access higher education, mitigating financial challenges so they are better able to focus on their studies and realise their full potential.
“I believe that scholarships are a vital tool in helping students to access and progress through higher education, which is why we are so proud to partner with Raheem to invest in talented Black students in Greater Manchester.”
Eligibility criteria for Raheem Sterling’s scholarship scheme
1. Identify as belonging to one of the following ethnic groups:
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Black or Black British – Caribbean
Black or Black British – African
Mixed – White and Black Caribbean
Mixed – White and Black African
Other Black background
2. Have a home post-code located within Greater Manchester.
3. Have firmly accepted an offer of a place with The University of Manchester on a three-year, full-time degree programme starting in the 2023/24 academic year by the UCAS acceptance deadline (see UCAS guidance on replying to offers).
5. Made an application to your regional student funding authority for income-assessed UK government financial support for higher education students. The regional student funding authority for this scholarship is Student Finance England. Please make sure you’ve given consent to share the information with the University – we’ll use this information to determine eligibility too.
Preferred candidates will also meet one or more of the following priority criteria:
Have a household income of £35,000 per annum or less.
Andy Burnham explains why Number 10 North is so important as it officially ‘opens for business’
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has explained his key reasons for launching Number 10 North as it officially ‘opens for business’ this week.
You may remember that earlier last month, Andy Burnham revealed he had intentions to create a Number 10 North if he was to become Prime Minister, with the new base expected to be a ‘dominant driver of the UK’s economy’ once it was officially up and running… and now, fast forward to today, Number 10 North is officially ‘open for business’.
Operating from Heron House in Manchester city centre, as previously reported on, Number 10 North will be the Government’s new ‘situation room for growth’.
It also brings the ‘levers’ of local economic growth and devolution together under one roof for the first time ever.
Number 10 North has officially ‘opened for business’ / Credit: gov.uk (via Wikimedia Commons)
With the Prime Minister expected to work from Number 10 North each week, so that decisions about the country’s economic future will no longer exclusively be made in Westminster, and with other ministers also working from there on a regular basis, the Government says the move underlines its determination to ‘do things differently’.
Now that Number 10 North has officially opened, Andy Burnham and his fellow ministers have explained why this move is so important for not just Manchester, but the north as a whole.
“For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve,” explained Andy Burnham.
“Number 10 North will change that by putting more power into every postcode across the entire country. It will be the situation room for making Britain better, the place we use to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level, so that they can turn things around.
“The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good.”
First Secretary Louise Haigh added: “Today marks a fundamental re-balancing of where power sits in our country. Number 10 North has been set up to drive economic growth in every postcode and put power in the hands of every community.
“Through this department, this Government will ensure that the places overlooked by Westminster for decades are given a real voice.
“Number 10 North is open for business.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Scissors, toy guns, and baseball bat among 100+ items confiscated by security at Manchester Airport
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has revealed a shocking list over 100 items confiscated by security staff in just one morning.
And honestly, you won’t believe some of the things people have tried to take on a plane.
With schools across Greater Manchester having now broken up for the summer holidays, and families getting ready to jet off on their holidays, Manchester Airport is urging all passengers travelling over the next six weeks to make sure they know the hand luggage rules before boarding the plane, after more than 100 items recently had to be confiscated by security in one morning alone.
12 pairs of scissors, 10 toy guns, seven corkscrews, four knives, two loose chisels, a pair of pliers, and even a baseball bat were among the items forming part of the shocking confiscation haul.
On top of this, security also confiscated dozens of cosmetic products, drinks bottles, and food items like multipacks of yoghurts.
Scissors, toy guns, and a baseball bat are among 100+ items confiscated by security at Manchester Airport / Credit: Manchester Airport
Although new 3D scanning technology has been installed at both of Manchester Airport’s terminals now, making the process smoother overall, those travelling during the busy summer period are reminded that attempting to bring non-compliant items through airport security causes delays for themselves and for others.
Airport security bosses are encouraging people to reacquaint themselves with the rules for hand luggage before packing for their journey.
“We’re proud of the role we play in getting people’s journeys off to the right start, and more than 97% of our passengers are getting through security checks in under 15 minutes,” commented Sakib Mahmood, who is the Security Duty Manager for T2 at Manchester Airport
All if these items were confiscated in just one morning / Credit: Manchester Airport
“But each time we have to pull a bag aside for a manual search it can take several minutes, and that can quickly start to add up and create delays.
“The range of items confiscated here in just a few hours shows what our security officers are up against every day, but when it comes to working out what is restricted and what is not, we know some items are more obvious than others.
“If you take a moment to reacquaint yourself with the rules before packing your hand luggage, it can save you lots of time when you get to Security, and avoids you losing items like water guns or bottles of suncream that you want to take on your holiday with you.
“In many cases, items like these which may fall foul of hand luggage restrictions can be taken in your hold luggage, so if in any doubt, pack the item in your suitcase rather than your carry-on bag.”
Daisy Jackson -
25th April 2023 
