Jewellery firm helps us Transform Lives

Two students from the University of Northampton have been given a helping hand to fulfil their potential thanks to a scholarship from a well-known town business.

Michael Jones Jeweller, which has two showrooms in Northampton, launched a scholarship programme in 2016 for students at the University who come from the county and are studying art or business-related course.

Amber Rawlins and Billy Little are the first lucky recipients of the scholarship, which provides £9,000 over three years to help undergraduates with their studies.

Amber, who is in her second year of studying Fashion Textiles, comes from Litchborough, near Towcester. The scholarship has helped her to purchase materials needed for completing her assignments and her final year exhibition. She also managed to come second in a live project set by footwear company Dr Martens.

“I cannot thank Michael Jones Jeweller enough for the financial support. It has helped me massively over the year and has given me more time to focus on the course as I haven’t needed to pick up any extra shifts at work.”

Second-year student Billy, meanwhile, is studying Advertising and Digital Marketing and comes from Northampton. He feels the scholarship helped him to receive top marks in his first-year modules. The support meant he could go on the course study trip to New York, allowed him to buy books and equipment, pay for printing and his daily commuting costs.

According to Luke Allebone, manager at Michael Jones Jeweller, many budding entrepreneurs have been discouraged from achieving their potential due to life not handing them a helpful start on the personal or business ladder. This is why they wanted to offer students that chance and particularly local ones, who would possibly return to operate in Northamptonshire. From an economics perspective, the more they put back into the town the better it will grow.

“At Michael Jones Jeweller we believe that helping people achieve their dreams is a better accomplishment than any short-lived financial reward. We hope the students that we support understand this philosophy, and that they will promote these beliefs as they go through life.”

We firmly believe income should not be a barrier to people who want to study at university as well, which is why we, and our partners, invest a substantial amount of money each year to support those who come from lower-income backgrounds to achieve their dreams.