By our social correspondent

Over a hundred leading representatives of the diplomatic, corporate, and academic world attended the The BritishSpanish Society’s annual scholarship awards ceremony at the London Belgravia residence of the Spanish ambassador on May 19th .

The occasion marked the seventh year of the Society’s prestigious  programme, which celebrated the successes of five British and Spanish students who were awarded a full scholarship in collaboration with our five Principal Supporters – BBVA, Ferrovial Aeropuertos, Telefonica, Santander and BUPA.

This year  five further bursaries or grants were awarded to deserving British and Spanish students, which have been made possible by the generosity of our members through various fundraising events throughout the past year.

The Society’s Honorary President, HE The Spanish Ambassador, Federico Trillo generously opened his Residence for the occasion, expressing his full support to the Society in its mission of building cultural and educational links between the people of Spain and Britain. He told the new scholars that they were deserving winners after a tough selection  process,and had a responsibility to help contribute to a better future with their investigations,  and studies.

BritishSpanish Society chairman Jimmy Burns Marañon said the scholarship programme was a good example of a positive collaboration between the voluntary and private sector,together with  the meritorious students involved,  “unlocking the potential of young minds, chanelling investment into the future by supporting research, investigation, and learning that we believe will be of benefit to both the UK and Spain, and be an inspiration to move forward.”

The fields  of the awards this year included advanced engineering for infrastructure sustainability, separate medical and scientific research into Alzeimer’s and hip replacements, costume design, monetary policy and risk-taking, architectural education,  and diplomatic relations between Spain and the Muslim world.

Major UK and Spanish universities were represented at the ceremony including Cambridge and Oxford, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Madrid, and Navarra.

Since its inception in 2008, the BritishSpanish Society has awarded scholarships and bursaries to over 40 British and Spanish post-graduate students conducting research in additional fields as diverse as urban planning, marine archaeology, physics , and music.

The BritishSpanish Society is a registered UK charity and a non-political organization. It is a growing organization with over 600 individual new members, and the support of British and Spanish companies and institutions  . In 2016, it will celebrate its centenary.

For further information look at our website www.britishspanishsociety.org

Or contact Maria Soriano, development secretary on development@britishspanishsociety.org

Why not join our membership today?

You can find an application form on our Membership page