Paisley student awarded £1000 as part of Chivas Brothers bursary

Four students are set to take their talents to the next level after being awarded a total of £4,500 in funding as part of Chivas Brothers’ national bursary scheme. Held in partnership with the Scottish International Educational Trust (SIET), the sought-after scheme offers financial support to ambitious employees and their family members, helping them to realise their aspirations through further education or vocational training.

Announced today, this year’s successful recipients are Claire Park, who is studying Applied Science at Moray College; Lauren Evans, a Forensic and Analytical Chemistry student from West Dunbartonshire; Paul McFadden, an aspiring programmer from Glasgow; and Eilidh Ross, a Human Rights and International Politics student at the University of Glasgow.

26-year-old Elgin resident Claire Park first heard about the bursary opportunity from her step-father Fenton Perrie, who works as a Project Engineer at Chivas Brothers. Awarded a total of £1,000, this bursary will help her to fund a higher mathematics course and allow her to purchase study materials for her HNC in Applied Sciences.

Claire said: “I worked as a healthcare assistant from the age of 15 and then last year I decided to go to college to help boost my skills and grow my career prospects. I’m absolutely over the moon to have been selected for this year’s bursary as it means I will now be able to focus on my studies and not worry about any extra costs. Ultimately, I want to move on to study for a degree in Applied Sciences or Pharmacy, and I’m really thankful to Chivas Brothers for helping me to take the next step on my education journey.”

Lauren Evans from Alexandria is currently studying a Forensic and Analytical Chemistry degree at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. She was encouraged to apply for the bursary by her father Raymond, who works as a Team Leader at Chivas Brothers’ Kilmalid site. She said: “I can’t believe that I’ve been accepted. The £1,000 will go a long way in helping to alleviate some of the travel costs I face commuting from Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire to my university in Glasgow. My ultimate career goal is to work for the Forensic Department of Police Scotland, and now I’m determined to make this dream a reality.”

Meanwhile, Paul McFadden, from Glasgow, has been awarded £1,000 to put towards his HNC Games Development Course at West College Scotland in Paisley. With aspirations to become a programmer in the gaming industry, the funding will help him to purchase the latest coding and software development programmes. He said: “I feel very privileged to have been selected as one of this year’s bursary recipients. It has already given me a huge confidence boost and I’ll be able to buy everything I need to develop a career in the games industry. I can’t thank Chivas Brothers enough for supporting me.”

Finally, Eilidh Ross, whose father Bryan works as a Distillery Operations Technician at Chivas Brothers’ Scapa Distillery in Kirkwall, has been awarded £1,500. She is currently working to complete her Masters degree in Human Rights and International Politics at the University of Glasgow, and will use the funding to support with the cost of travel from her home on Orkney. She said: “This bursary will have a massive impact on my studies and also on my career. With the support of Chivas Brothers, I will now be able to attend an important study trip to the United Nations in Geneva. This is something I never thought would be possible, and it will be an important factor in helping me to pursue a career within politics or the humanitarian sector.”

Chivas Brothers’ national bursary scheme launched to great acclaim last year, and has already contributed towards the studies of an aeronautical engineer, a budding actress and a Classics student at Cambridge University. The scheme is open to all 1,600 of Chivas Brothers’ employees and direct family members, providing them with the opportunity to secure funding of up to £5,000 a year. The scheme will run for three years, this being its second.

Jennie Norrish, Global Communications Director at Chivas Brothers, added: “We’re really proud to be able to support our employees and their family members to realise their ambitions. Our 2017 bursary recipients have so much talent and each of them has a real passion and determination to achieve their dreams. This entrepreneurial mind-set is something we really champion at Chivas Brothers, so it’s fantastic to be able to relieve some of the financial pressures that come with studying full time. We can’t wait to see how the funding helps them over the next year.”

Michael Ewart, Director of SIET, a body which provides talented individuals with grants to complete further education studies, added: “This bursary is such a worthwhile initiative and we’re delighted to be able to support a second cohort of students on their education journey. The scheme shows Chivas Brothers’ dedication to championing the success of its employees and their family members.”