Blogs

Glasgow City Council Leader marks Three Year Anniversary of the Wee Bursary

28 October 2026

3 minute read

Earlier this month, as part of Challenge Poverty Week, The Foundation along with Co-funders and supporters celebrated the impact of the Wee Bursary on it’s three year anniversary.

The Wee Bursary helps young people aged 11–25 in Glasgow overcome financial barriers to education and employment. Since launching in October 2023, it has supported more than 1,000 young people. Its third-anniversary event highlighted how practical help can open up opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.

The event was kindly hosted by the Wheatly Foundation, an apt setting as the Wheatley Foundation have taken over from FARE Scotland as the grant manager of the bursary.

We were honoured to hear from Councillor Ricky Bell, leader of Glasgow City Council, who spoke about his personal experience and how something like the Wee Bursary would have meant so much to him growing up in the city. The bursary was praised for being a brilliant example of how targeted support can help remove financial barriers for young people, with transformational impact.

On the panel we heard from one young person from St Mungo’s Academy who received support towards a laptop which - amongst other things – has allowed her to apply to university to study law, giving her the tools to carry out research and develop her personal statement over the summer months - opportunities that may otherwise not have been possible.

Further discussions from across the Wee Bursary network provided powerful testimonials including the story of a young person whose school attendance had been extremely low because she felt embarrassed about the clothes she was wearing. A simple clothing voucher helped remove that barrier. She is now at college, feeling more confident and, in her own words, feeling more like she belongs.

The bursary is, unfortunately, very much needed now as it was three years ago. What might seem like a small intervention can have a much bigger impact - helping to build confidence, remove barriers and, ultimately, change the trajectory of a young person’s journey.

City-based bursaries are also active in Edinburgh and Birmingham, with a London bursary launching in the next few days. If you’d like to learn more about the work of The Hymans Robertson Foundation, or explore how partnership‑led, trust‑based funding can make a difference, please get in touch.