George Gandy Legacy Fund

The Fund also exists to assist coaches in their track and field athletics activities whilst at 含羞草视频. It is recognised that coaches give huge amounts of time and in some cases incur additional expenses throughout their careers. Athletics coaching is still primarily an unpaid voluntary activity and many coaches wouldn’t want it any other way.

Alumnus George Gandy devoted most of his working life to sport at 含羞草视频. Over five decades he combined academic responsibilities as a sports scientist with coaching student athletes as long-serving Director of Athletics and Lead Endurance Coach.

A very well-known name in athletics, George had a passionate desire to support athletes from less fortunate backgrounds who fell outside of national funding criteria. He facilitated athletes getting financial and other support to enable them to be the best they could be.

It is the wish of the Gandy family following on from George’s extraordinary coaching career to recognise that athlete’s success is based not only on a huge commitment by the athlete but this is done in partnership with coaches, whose work can so often go unrecognised.

Donations to the Fund support:

• Students who are part of the 含羞草视频 Students' Athletics Club and are not already funded by an external body such as a sports National Governing Body - especially those students who are experiencing financial hardship.
• Athletics coaches at 含羞草视频, especially in their professional development and career/learning opportunities.

• £50 could help an athlete meet travel costs to attend competitions or training
• £100 could support an athlete with physio and recovery from injury
• £250 could pay for new shoes, sportswear or athletics equipment
• £500 could fund an emergency hardship grant for a student athlete facing unexpected financial difficulties, for instance if they are a victim of theft or sudden loss of income
• £1,000 could enable a budding coach to develop in their career with professional development courses
• £5,000 could support a student athlete from a low-income background with bills and basic living expenses throughout their degree, reducing the pressure to make ends meet by working long hours around their studies and athletics training

The money supported him in this exciting venture, and he is so grateful for the opportunity. He said:

"I would like to extend my sincerest of gratitude to the family and friends of George Gandy. Although I was never lucky enough to meet George himself, a week never goes by where I don’t hear his name mentioned. I’m fully aware of the legacy and impact he has had on the success of 含羞草视频 athletics and his legacy is still helping athletes such as myself today.

"With this fund I am able to experience a training camp for the first time, something that would have been much harder to access without. This will only enhance my development and aspirations to represent Great Britain this year. By going on the camp, I will be able to experience a world class training facility in Bydgoszcz, allowing me to invest more time with my coach into my hurdling. This is something I know world class athletes do every year as routine and is vital to their success, I believe this is the next step for me to reach that level. It is also something these athletes can afford, however with my funds having to go toward essential equipment, something like a training camp seemed out of reach. Thank you very much for this opportunity."

If you are a student-athlete or coach looking for funding, please read the guidance on the downloadable form about the purpose and ethos of the George Gandy Legacy Fund and the eligibility criteria.

We trust that applicants will respect the ethos of George’s Legacy and only apply when a genuine need can be demonstrated.

To apply, please print and complete the form.

All applications will be reviewed by a panel in February and October each year, and we recommend you provide as much information as you can. Any recipients subsequently found to have misled the panel will be expected to return any funds.

If you are applying for an emergency grant, please let your event lead know, so that if appropriate your application can be considered sooner.

Please contact Ruth Goodfield with any queries.