Our Third Decade: 2018 - present

To celebrate the start of our third decade in 2018, Stephanie Dale organised a 20/20 sponsorship challenge, inviting 20 supporters to raise £20,000 by undertaking exciting and sometimes dangerous activities, including ascending the Three Peaks (the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales, within 24 hours), cycling, a triathlon, running, walking and a parachute jump undertaken by beneficiary Kimberley Cormack and supporter Ian Billings.

Ian and Kim addressed a summer party, held to celebrate the Fund’s work in the summer of 2019, at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, who kindly donated the space. Music was provided by Rough Diamonds, a 24-strong world music choir, which donated its services to the Fund from the evening. The 20/20 challenge contributed significantly to the £38,120 we raised in our 2018 anniversary year.

The 2020-21 pandemic led to a predictable decline in the number of Birmingham care-leavers going to university. In 2020, the Fund set up emergency fund, which distributed grants to finance extra costs which students – particularly care-leavers – were facing: printing and stationery equipment, extra books for distance learning, storage space and travel. EBSF befrienders also gave students impacted by Covid advice and support.

In our third decade we have sought to expand our offer and encourage applications by writing to all care-leaver undergraduates congratulating them on winning their places and - over a three year period - and giving them a £100 book token to aid their first year of study. We are also planning to support more students in further education and undertaking apprenticeships.

So far in our third decade we have supported students undertaking elective placements in New Zealand and Oregon, USA. We have given post-graduate bursaries to students studying creative writing, finance economics, game development, audio and creative technology, physical education, the psychology of mental health and engineering management. A striking development has been the number of applicants studying subjects related to the criminal justice system: law, criminology, forensic science and forensic psychology. We are currently supporting our first PhD student, who is studying biomedical science and undertaking original research.

Birmingham's children services are now run by the independent Birmingham Children's Trust, whose Director of Commissioning and Corporate Parenting, David Stringfellow, joined the EBSF Trust in 2019.

Our Treasurer John Rouse retired in 2019, handing over to David Blower, former Assistant Principal of Joseph Chamberlain sixth form college. John died in September 2022. In acknowledgement of his unique contribution to EBSF over many years, the Trust decided to set up a new award in his memory, to help and encourage former beneficiaries in their future careers, particularly in the arts.

In 2023 former beneficiary David Esset was appointed to the Trust. David works as a project manager in a major Birmingham engineering firm.