Get Financial Help
The ‘Emma Cairns‘ Bursary Fund
It is a fundamental principle that no student application is ever turned down on the basis of their ability to meet the cost of the course. We have a long history of providing financial assistance to course members under our own bursary scheme or offering help to find other kinds of support for sponsorship. Such help has been in place since the course was originally founded in 1986.
From 2019, our bursary places will be offered as a memorial to one of our longest serving members of staff, Emma Cairns, who sadly died from Secondary Breast Cancer in July 2018.
Financial Support with the ‘Emma Cairns’ Bursary
Reflecting the core ethos of the Summer School and mirroring some of Emma’s most admirable qualities, of integrity, honesty and fairness, our bursaries are available for any students who feel that they are unable to meet the cost of a course and who require some financial assistance.
To apply for a bursary, please contact us for details using the link below.
Who Was Emma Cairns?
Teaching on the course from 1996 to 2016, Emma Cairns (nee Dickson), was a talented and experienced drama teacher who had a great passion for her work. As well as being Head of Department at two Berkshire schools, she also directed a wide range of productions, mentored trainee drama teachers and also worked for a charity providing provision for pupils no longer in mainstream education.
She was a creative and enthusiastic member of the Summer School staff and gave students a fun and rewarding experience that was enhanced by her outstanding teaching and wide reaching knowledge of the subject. With a genuine love of all things theatrical, Ufton Drama Summer School was one of the highlights of her teaching year and her affection and warmth gave the course a more nurtured environment for her presence.
Her influence on the way the course has developed over the last 20+ years is immeasurable and her legacy continues to touch the experiences of students who attend, even if they never had the pleasure to meet her.
In 2017, Emma stepped down from the teaching staff to give more time to her daughter and to continue her incredibly important campaigning work with Breast Cancer Care.
