AISLING BURSARY 2010

'AT THE HEART OF REGENERATION'

West Belfast Partnership Board 218 – 226 Falls Road, Belfast, BT12 6AH Telephone: 02890809202 Email: info@wbpb.org

BMediaGroup West Belfast Partnership Board

AISLING BURSARY ..

The applications for the Aisling Bursary are now CLOSED. The panel is now adjudicating and applicants will find out in late August.

Sparántachtaí na hAislinge

The Aisling Bursaries 2010 Breakfast Launch, with the West Belfast Partnership Board and the Belfast Media Group, was held on Friday 4th June in An Cultarlann, with Guest Speaker Mr Gerry Adams MP MLA. The initiative provides bursaries to support full-time and part-time students from West Belfast through Further and Higher Education.

Supporting local students
Launched in March 2000, the Aisling Bursaries are designed to help West Belfast students defray their education and training costs. All applications are considered, with special consideration given to candidates who have significant barriers preventing them from realising their full potential through education, for example economic or family circumstances.
Providing financial assistance to students from West Belfast is the main aim of this bursary programme. Some bursaries are specifically for those participating in vocational training or a subject specific course of study relevant to the sponsor’s area of business or interest.

Our Business Sponsors – investing in the Community
The Aisling Bursary Initiative highlights the importance the business community attaches to education in developing West Belfast. Each business contributes £1,000 for a full time bursary or £500 for a part time bursary.
In the past 10 years businesses have made donations of £362,500 to a total of 401 recipients.

President Mary McAleese attended the Aisling Bursary 10th Anniversary presentation ceremony on the 30th September 2009 in St Mary’s University College, to commend our sponsors and local students.

Geraldine McAteer, Chief Executive of West Belfast Partnership Board says -
“We were honoured to have President Mary McAleese as our honorary guest at the Awards ceremony in St Marys University College. We are particularly proud of the Aisling sponsors, past and present over the last 10 years, who have given generously to the Bursary Fund – assisting many local people to access further and higher education and training. The sponsors – many of which are local businesses - have demonstrated a firm commitment to and investment in, the West Belfast community, enabling the Aisling Bursary recipients to make a better life for themselves and their families”.
Máirtín Ó’Muilleoir has also commended the efforts of both local students and business support,
“The Belfast Media Group would like to pay tribute to these real achievers in business and education. In business those who are contributing to give back and in education those who have set themselves difficult goals”
Sponsors receive the advantage of publicity in Belfast Media Group’s range of publications across the city and a supplement is produced exclusively from the Presentation ceremony in which sponsors and their recipients are pictured.

Aisling Burasry 2009 Our sponsors in 2009 were;

Bombardier Aerospace , Andor Technologies , Cumann Na Meirlac , ORTUS, Delta Print INBEV , Gaeltacht Quarter ACE Taxis Madden & Finucane Solicitors, Michael Flanigan Solicitors, Westwood Centre, O’Hare & McGovern Contractors Andersonstown Social Club, Dairy Farm Training , Whitemountain Quarries, Roadmix, West Belfast Taxi Association Springvale Learning, Curley’s, Workwest , Roddy MacCorley Social Club, APT Licensing, Kevin Winters Solicitors, Todd Allen, Friends & family of Siobhan O Hanlon, Belfast Media Group, Family of Michael Ferguson, The Fort Bar, Cooley’s Garage, Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaiochta

Support from Department of Employment and Learning
In 2008, the Department of Employment and Learning recognised the importance of this initiative and contributed to it. This programme has generated much interest in other communities who wish to copy this model.

West Belfast Partnership Board 218 – 226 Falls Road, Belfast, BT12 6AH

Telephone: 02890809202 Email: info@wbpb.org