Leeds Met students awarded The Rushbond Art Scholarship

Leeds-based property Investors, Rushbond Plc, have once again donated five scholarships to first year Leeds School of Arts undergraduates Adil Fiaz, Richard Marsden, Chad O'Dare, Dileesa Pathirana and Neisha Rahman as well as a further five to Ahmad Alameddine, Maisie Daniels, Dan Evans, Kristine Soms and Lyndon Wallace, all in their final year.

Nineteen-year-old Adil, who is studying a BA (Hons) in Product Design, said The Rushbond Art Scholarship would make a "huge difference" to his university experience. He commented: "I have a plan for after I finish university that if I have a design which is very original I will develop it and perfect it, and then invest money to cover the costs of making a prototype and promotional materials to start my own business. I always dream big, because if you don't try you will never know."

Kristine Soms, aged 22, who moved from Latvia to study BA (Hons) Design at Leeds Met, added: "Design is my great passion and I see it as an opportunity to influence both the artificial and natural environment. I will invest this scholarship into creating and promoting my designs. I plan to build a career in design in Leeds after I graduate and I have used my dissertation to make a business plan, working towards this goal."

Jonathan Maud, Managing Director of Rushbond, said that he felt it was important to support Leeds-based artists studying in the early stages of their careers.

"It gives us great pleasure at Rushbond to collaborate with Leeds Met and provide these scholarships to such deserving, hardworking and talented individuals," he said. "Leeds is a real hot bed of talent and opportunity, and we want the region's skilled designers, architects and artists to be able to stay and practise their art here in Leeds. We hope this investment will help the students to reach their full potential."

Head of School for Art, Architecture and Design, Dr Rebekka Kill, added: "We are delighted and very grateful that we continue work with Rushbond to once again create scholarships which matched the vision of the company and that it is able to make such a significant contribution to students."

Rushbond are an award-winning Leeds headquartered property investment and development company with an enviable reputation for delivering high quality and imaginative schemes. Their philosophy is to create distinctive buildings and places. In keeping with this innovative approach, Rushbond has been a strong supporter of the arts in the Yorkshire region for many years and they are now looking at other ways to encourage creativity through the arts in Leeds. The Company's public art commissions include the Steeped Vessels and the Sheaf Tree at Brewery Wharf, the Walter Jack sculpture at the BBC Leeds and a proposed new art installation at the Algernon Firth Building in Leeds. The Rushbond Arts Scholarship seeks to reward five, talented, first year and final year, undergraduate students who are studying courses in our School of Art, Architecture & Design.