STUDENTS at Musselburgh-based Queen Margaret University (QMU) affected by the Covid-19 crisis are to be supported with £25,000 worth of new funding.

Up to 30 students and student businesses will be able to apply for grants between £500-£3,000, awarded by the education initiative Santander Universities UK.

Sir Paul Grice, the university’s principal and vice chancellor, has released a video thanking Santander for its generosity.

He said: “Santander is a key partner of the university and, indeed, an important part of the QMU community. I want to thank Santander Universities both for their help now, at a time of crisis, but also for their support over many years.”

Details of how to apply for the grants will be made available to students in the coming weeks.

For more than a decade, Santander Universities UK has been supporting QMU with funding to enable its students, staff and graduates access to opportunities – including scholarships, internships, mobility grants, entrepreneurial assistance and financial help – to ensure they can focus on their studies.

When the coronavirus pandemic began to unfold, Santander Universities worked with QMU to reallocate £35,000 of its funding to support students adversely affected by the situation.

This funding has continued to bolster the university’s International Hardship and Student Discretionary Funds, which assist students whose continuing access to education might be placed in jeopardy due to financial difficulties.

Santander Universities then recently announced an additional £25,000 to help support students and student businesses affected by Covid-19.

To view Sir Paul’s video message go to youtu.be/rQYWxtajHMg