First recipients of the Gareth Pierce Bursary Scheme announced

Three promising Welsh students have been awarded bursaries as part of our Gareth Pierce Bursary Scheme.

Lowri Haf Davies of Aberystwyth University, Taylor-James Daughton of Aberystwyth University, and Alys Ffion Chisholm of Cardiff University will receive a bursary of £3,000 each in memory of our former Chief Executive, Gareth Pierce.

Commenting on the announcement is Ian Morgan, WJEC Chief Executive, "On behalf of WJEC I would like to congratulate Lowri, Taylor-James and Alys, who are the first recipients of the Gareth Pierce bursary. Gareth was a significant figure within the Welsh education landscape, and this bursary is a testament to his passion for Mathematics and learning through the medium of Welsh.

We wish the students the very best in their studies, and hope the bursary will enable them to flourish in their respective courses."

The bursary scheme was launched in 2022 and aims to support undergraduate students studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh. The bursary scheme supports 3 students annually and is administered through the kind support of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Supporting undergraduate learning

Taylor-James, from Barry, hopes to work as a Mathematics teacher in the future, and is delighted to win the bursary in a subject he loves to study. He said:

"I really appreciate the bursary, and am grateful to WJEC and the Coleg Cymraeg for the recognition and funding. I'm happy that I can study Mathematics, which is such a useful, current, and interesting subject through my mother tongue. I look forward to working as a teacher in the future to share my passion for Mathematics and inspire the next generation to choose to study the subject through the medium of Welsh."

Lowri Haf Davies from Nantgaredig was delighted to hear that she had won the bursary, and grateful to her secondary school for encouraging her to study Mathematics at university:

"It is a privilege to receive the Gareth Pierce bursary, and I will be using the money to purchase books that will help me on my course. I love the course at Aberystwyth University and am grateful to the Mathematics department at Ysgol Bro Myrddin because that's where my interest in the field began. I hope to have a career in statistics in the future."

Alys Chisholm, from Caernarfon, said, "It is an honour to receive this new bursary in the name of Gareth Pierce, an important figure in Welsh-medium education in Wales. I'm very grateful to WJEC and the Coleg Cymraeg for the funding that will be very helpful and facilitate my time at university over the next few years."

Make an application

As part of the scheme, 3 bursaries of £3,000 per year are given to each student who is studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh and are also eligible for a means tested student loan. As the funds they receive are a grant, this is non-repayable, reducing the financial burden on students. The scheme runs annually, and applications can be made from the Spring term.

Further details on how the scheme will work is available via the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. 

Further Information / Media Enquiries:
Jonathan Thomas
PR and Brand Manager
jonathan.thomas@wjec.co.uk
029 2026 5102