Magnusson Awards
From volunteering at a birthing centre in Mexico, to developing a sustainable fashion business in Glasgow – these are just two of the life-changing projects to be carried out by students from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in the name of the University’s late Chancellor, the well-known journalist and broadcaster Magnus Magnusson KBE.
A total of six students were presented with Magnus Magnusson Awards during a ceremony at the Glasgow campus on Monday, June 6. The Awards will enable them to undertake their chosen projects, using their expertise and knowledge, where it will make a real and lasting difference.
The Magnusson Awards, established in 2007, are made possible thanks to the work of the GCU Foundation, which raises funds to help transform lives through education. The Foundation has raised over £10million to date, supporting thousands of students through a variety of educational opportunities.
Students, their families and friends, staff and invited guests attended the annual event hosted by Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE and Dr Sally Magnusson, daughter of the late Chancellor and Honorary President of the Magnusson Fellowship at GCU.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE said: “As the University for the Common Good, GCU is passionate about making a positive difference to the communities we serve and this is at the heart of all we do. The Magnus Magnusson Awards epitomise that mission, enabling our students to go out into the world using their skills and knowledge to help make a difference to communities locally and globally. Over the past 15 years we have seen an amazing variety of projects undertaken across the world by Magnusson Award winners, and we congratulate our 2022 winners and take inspiration from these individuals who embody many of Magnus’s own personal values and interests. We wish them every success with their endeavours.”
Dr Sally Magnusson said: “It is an enormous pleasure to be part of the Magnus Magnusson Awards at GCU. The University’s continued support of these Awards and encouragement of these talented young people is immensely heart-warming, and I extend a special thanks to Professor Gillies for championing them over the past 15 years. This year’s winners have some tremendous plans and I know that they will put their Awards to good use in undertaking their projects. I’m looking forward to hearing about their endeavours and accomplishments, and wish them the very best for the future.”
This year’s awards were presented to:
Katie Hutchinson, Santander Universities Magnusson Award: who intends to grow and expand her sustainable fashion business to keep up with consumer demand.
Rianna Raymond-Williams, Sir Alex Ferguson Magnusson Award: who is developing a youth sex-education programme with young people in Jamaica using podcasting as a vehicle for engagement and change.
Rebecca Dalby Bowler, Sir Alex Ferguson Magnusson Award: who intends to volunteer at a birthing centre in Mexico to share skills as a birth companion and gain knowledge and understanding of the holistic community health model there.
Cynthia Gichuki & Reggie Okoko, Nicol Magnusson Award: who will train pastoralist communities in Kenya about off-grid energy solutions and equip families with solar lamps.
Chidozie Kenneth Nwaigwe, Mike Smith Magnusson Award: whose Award will help him build a 24-hour central water dispensing site for a community in Nigeria, which currently suffers from acute shortage of potable water and a spike in water-borne diseases, all using renewable energy.
Sarah Alderson, GCU Magnusson Award: who will conduct market research for the GCU Work to Retirement programme with the intention of establishing this as a new placement for occupational therapy at the University.
Past Magnusson Award winners also attended the event, including broadcast journalist, presenter and GCU graduate Colin Stone, whose Award helped him travel to the London Olympics in 2012 where he worked as part of the press team, interviewing stars such as Usain Bolt.