Raluca Magadan is being supported by The Quadstar Foundation in her final year at Bristol Veterinary School.

The Quadstar Foundation is offering two grants up to £3,500 pa. 

A charity has announced it is launching funding for aspiring veterinary students from disadvantaged backgrounds, offering two grants of up to £3,500 pa.

The Quadstar Foundation, established by former vet Nick Butcher, supports talented and passionate young people who have shown determination in the face of adversity across the UK — from aspiring dancers and doctors to filmmakers and engineers.

Now the charity has partnered with Bristol Veterinary School to promote its 2025 awards, with funding for students embarking on a gateway or main veterinary degree course, possibly as a second degree. 

Nick Butcher explained: “Since launching the charity I’ve discovered how arbitrary and prohibitive UK student finance decisions can be. Past grantees have usually come from disadvantaged backgrounds and often been the first in their family to attend university. Our grants are not intended to be cash top-ups; they are meant for students in genuine need."

The charity is keen to give preference to those who would struggle to take up their course place without support. In addition to the funding, Nick will personally mentor successful grantees with everything from job applications to helping them find a place to live. 

He added: “Having worked as a vet for many years before setting up my businesses, I have great industry connections and knowledge. So, I’m in the privileged position of being able to help committed students to seize the career opportunities they deserve.”

One student who has benefitted from The Quadstar Foundation is Raluca Magadan, a veterinary nurse from Ireland, who is in her final year on the accelerated graduate course at Bristol University.

She said: “Doing a second degree was never going to be easy. However, through help from family and locum vet nurse work, I managed to afford my first three years of vet school and made it into final year. This is where the difficulty came, as I had to more than forty hours per week of unpaid rotations work, plus clinical EMS during the holiday breaks, which made it very hard for me to earn the money I needed to afford my final year. At times it meant I had under £100 to survive an entire month on, which became a big physical and mental challenge.

“That’s when the Quadstar Foundation stepped in and took a weight off my shoulders by helping to pay off my outstanding university fees and providing some financial security in my final months. This has been a huge relief and allowed me to finally enjoy my last year at Bristol. I can’t thank everyone at the charity enough.”

Tim Parkin, head of Bristol Vet School, said: “The number of very capable vet students applying to the University of Bristol Financial Assistance Fund has increased significantly over the last few years. Additional help, such as that provided by The Quadstar Foundation, ensures that thankfully, some of those students can fulfil their dreams.”

Image (C) The Quadstar Foundation.