Celebrating 20 years of KU Cares student support programme at Kingston University

Students, alumni and staff from across Kingston University came together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its award-winning support programme, KU Cares, with donors and other invited guests at the flagship Town House building. 

What started as a small initiative supporting five students in 2006 has grown into a nationally-recognised, institution-wide programme. Each year, KU Cares supports more than 300 students from across the University who come from care backgrounds, are estranged from their families, are young adult carers or sanctuary scholars.

The anniversary event, at the Penrhyn Road campus, featured presentations, student reflections and discussions highlighting KU Cares’ achievements and those who have shaped its development.

Executive Director of Student Services Louisa Green opened the Town House celebration, before introducing a short animation designed by a final-year Kingston School of Art student, highlighting key milestones in KU Cares’ development. The evening explored the programme’s origins, the students it supports, and its role in widening access to university.

During the past two decades, KU Cares has evolved to meet changing student needs, expanding support for estranged students, introducing sanctuary scholarships for asylum-seeking applicants, extending provision to young adult carers, and developing paid employment opportunities through KU Cares Connectors (KUCCs). KU Cares Connectors work closely with the KU Cares team to support and promote the programme and wider EDI initiatives, using lived experience and student insight to inform projects, campaigns and events. 

Students attending the celebratory event reflected on their journeys, achievements and aspirations, alongside the impact KU Cares has had during their studies. A student panel featuring KU Cares Connectors also discussed their experiences and opportunities gained through the programme.

Guest speakers included KU Cares alumni John Golding and Gracia Hyatt. John is now a Building Happier Futures specialist at the John Lewis Partnership – an employability programme supporting care-experienced individuals – while Gracia is a clinical trial manager at Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd, leading initiatives across the UK to strengthen patient engagement and improve representation and inclusion in clinical research. 

Reflecting on the impact of KU Cares, John shared a message of encouragement for current students. “To everyone at KU Cares, thank you for creating the paths that support people like me to walk onto our futures," he said. "To care-experienced students and young people here tonight – your path may be difficult and rarely straight, but it is yours. Embrace it, learn from it, and celebrate it, because without paths, there is no journey.” 

The event featured a keynote address from Student Services Director Jenni Woods, who spoke about the resilience and success of KU Cares students. 

“What stands out about KU Cares students is that they are not defined by the barriers they face,” she said. “Instead, they are defined by courage, determination, adaptability and remarkable capacity to succeed, even in circumstances that might challenge many of us.” 

"The purpose of KU Cares has been to identify those barriers and remove them wherever we can. Over the last 20 years, that approach has transformed lives."

She also paid tribute to the outstanding contributions and achievements of the University’s former access and inclusion manager Emily Hughes, who sadly passed away in 2020.  Emily was instrumental in developing KU Cares in close collaboration with students from care-experienced backgrounds, providing a platform for hundreds of students to go on to succeed in their careers and lives. 

Student inclusion manager Lydia Ansong said that hearing some of the stories shared by those who had benefited from the programme at the celebration was a powerful reminder of why the programme exists. “KU Cares continues to support students who have faced significant challenges, supporting their access to higher education, alongside providing ongoing provision that enables them to thrive throughout their degrees,” she said. 

"Seeing former and current students come together to celebrate their successes was incredibly moving and reinforces the lasting impact that dedicated support and a strong community can have."

National recognition for KU Cares’ long-standing impact

KU Cares provides dedicated support to students from application through to graduation. The programme is funded by the University and supported by donations from Kingston alumni and friends, which provided more than 50 KU Cares bursaries in the 2024-25 academic year.

Brian O’Rourke, a Kingston University engineering alumnus and KU Cares donor, reflected on the importance of supporting the programme. "This is a really great cause and I’m proud to have supported it for more than 15 years," he said. "If I’ve been able to help even a little by giving someone a step-up in their career, that’s all I hope to do."

The work of KU Cares has been acknowledged through a range of sector awards and accreditations, including the University’s role in piloting the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) Quality Mark. This was re-awarded to the programme in 2025 for a further three years in recognition of its continued commitment to supporting students with care experience or estrangement.

The programme has also been recognised in the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) Awards and the UK Social Mobility Awards, as well as the University Alliance Awards for its support of young adult carers.

Looking ahead

As KU Cares enters its third decade, the University remains committed to supporting students to overcome barriers to higher education and achieve their ambitions, working with students, alumni, supporters and partners to ensure future generations can benefit from the same opportunities and support.

A timeline of KU Cares over the years

2006: KU Cares established, supporting five students.  

2007: Awarded its first national quality mark for supporting care leavers.  

2014: Sanctuary Scholarships introduced for asylum-seeking applicants.  

2015: Support expanded to include young adult carers.  

2016-17: Kingston University wins consecutive NEON Awards for widening participation.  

2019: KU Cares recognised at the UK Social Mobility Awards and helps pilot the NNECL Quality Mark.  

2020: Highlighted by the Office for Students as an example of good practice during the Covid-19 pandemic.  

2021: Launch of KU Cares Connectors paid employment programme.  

2024: Introduction of KU Cares Café to strengthen community and belonging.  

2025: Winner of the University Alliance Equality and Opportunity Award and re-awarded the NNECL Quality Mark.  

2026: KU Cares celebrates its 20th anniversary and supports more than 300 students.

• Find out more about KU Cares.