On Tuesday 28^th March the very first WGS Iftar took place at Vermilion Restaurant, Manchester. It was a very special evening of warmth and friendship and we are delighted to announce that £32,000 was raised for The Marjorie Hulme Bursary Fund.

This will fund more than two years of a full bursary and will support a talented girl who would otherwise miss out on all that a Withington education offers.

We are extremely grateful to Withington parents for their support in organising this event and for their suggestion that we take the opportunity to raise funds for bursary provision at Withington. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Action for Humanity, MCR Property Group and MWG Solicitors for their support and sponsorship of the event.

It was wonderful to see so many families from our Withington community, present and past, come together for the event. The evening was hosted by Dr Shameela Islam-Zulfiqar, a doctor, successful business woman and humanitarian activist. Dr Shameela spoke passionately about the importance of education for young women and the difference this can make to their lives in the future.  The importance of education and supporting access to education was reiterated by Deputy Imam, Abid Khan, Director of Education at Cheadle Mosque, who also spoke.

Thank you to Year 9 pupils Inayah and Isha who conducted beautiful readings and translations of verses from the Quran and to our Islamic Society committee for their help on the evening. Many thanks also to pupil ,Rida and to Ms Bruce who both spoke about their experiences of being a bursary holder at Withington and the difference that this has made to them.

Finally, thank you to all those who so generously donated on the night. One of our Bursary Ambassadors best reflects the power of a community coming together in this way when she summed up what bursary support meant to her:

“The bursary means a lot to me. It allowed me to know that I’m not alone – because I’m a member of this community and it’s inspiring to know that there are people that I’ve never met that have my best interests at heart. A bursary is not just a one-time investment, it is an investment in our futures.”