Chairman's Report

Sir Nigel Hamilton 

Chair Belfast Boys’ Model Bursary Fund 

Bursary Fund Report for Year Ended 30 April 2025 

It is my responsibility and privilege as chair of the fund and on behalf of my fellow directors to provide the annual report and accounts for the fund for the year ended 30 April 2025. 

The fund was established ten years ago to provide bursaries for pupils from the Boys’ Model moving to third level education. During that time, we have seen the fund grow considerably and continue to achieve its objectives. The board of the fund is responsible for ensuring that the fund continues to exercise its full range of regulatory responsibilities and we believe that we compiled with all such requirements in 2024-2025. The fund does not have any staff and so it is the responsibility of the officers to carry out the roles which staff might otherwise undertake. In that context the board would want to place on record the excellent contributions of Mark Gilmore as vice chair, Bryan Keating as company secretary and William Wilson as treasurer. In addition, Roy Adair, having stepped down as treasurer, ensured that the transition to the new treasurer was as efficient as possible.  

During the year the board, under the direction of Mark Gilmore, also undertook a major review of how it operates and agreed to move to a position where the board will continue to have direct responsibility for key strategic issues such as regulatory compliance, financial matters, and board membership. Mark Gilmore also established and chairs an operations group, which has responsibility for fund raising, event planning, data issues, and the preparation of a suite of documents for board approval. The board is most grateful to Bryan Keating who has given a very considerable amount of time to the preparation of those important documents. During the year, the board had four meetings.  

Given that the purpose of the fund is to provide bursaries, the board would want to report that in the years from establishment up to 30 April 2025, 54 boys received bursaries totalling some £120,000 . Since the fund was established, we have been greatly encouraged by two things. The first is the impact which the bursaries have had on the boys who have been successful. The school is in regular contact with them and it is so encouraging to hear about the help which the bursaries have been in their education journey. To date, every boy who has been awarded a bursary has gone on to complete his third level qualification. The fund is also working with the school to help maintain a data base of all the bursary recipients. The second encouragement is the continuing support of the donors to the fund, both those who give regularly monthly and those who give one-off donations. We want to extend our sincere thanks to all our donors and reassure them that we are always looking for ways to expand and develop the bursary awards.  

One of the important and key successes of the fund is the relationship with the school and the board wants again to place on record our huge thanks to Mary Montgomery, the principal and board member, her secretary Joanne Clarke, and Kerry Deehan who has responsibility for our online information. Under Mary Montgomery’s excellent leadership, the school goes from strength to strength, and the fund is very pleased to play some part in supporting the staff and the boys and in ensuring that the boys from the school can fulfil their potential through third level education. We are proud to help and be associated with the school. The board is also exploring how and in what ways the fund might further support the school. That work is continuing and will require more detailed thought and planning, as well as legal and regulatory considerations and approval. 

We are looking forward to making the 2026 awards and will be increasing the number of bursaries and the amount given. We will have more news on that in the coming weeks, no doubt after another round of impressive examination results have been achieved through the hard work and dedication of pupils and staff.  

The directors firmly believe that the fund continues to prove important in supporting the boys from the school entering and remaining in third level education and is committed to ensuring that the fund operates and is managed in the most effective way. At a time of increasing uncertainty for young people with reports of entry level opportunities in many careers being under threat, it is more important than ever that the fund continues its work to help break down the social and economic barriers faced by the talented and hardworking pupils from Boys’ Model. 

Sir Nigel Hamilton