The Quadstar Foundation has recently launched two grants for up to £3,500 pa for students embarking on a gateway or main veterinary degree course, possibly as a second degree. The educational charity already supports a range of talented and passionate young people who have shown determination in the face of adversity across the UK – including aspiring dancers, doctors, filmmakers and engineers – and has recently partnered with Bristol Veterinary School to promote the 2025 awards.
Founder of the Quadstar Foundation, Nick Butcher, explained: “Since launching the charity I’ve discovered how arbitrary and prohibitive UK student finance decisions can be. Past grantees have usually come from disadvantaged backgrounds and often been the first in their family to attend university. Our grants are not intended to be cash top-ups; they are meant for students in genuine need.”
The Quadstar Foundation is eager to give preference to those who, without this support, would struggle to take up their course place. In addition to offering the grants, Nick will personally mentor successful grantees. He added: “Having worked as a vet for many years before setting up my businesses, I have great industry connections and knowledge. So, I’m in the privileged position of being able to help committed students to seize the career opportunities they deserve.”
Besides running Vetprop, a successful veterinary property and acquisitions company, and Animus Surgical, a fast-growing business specialising in global pet and vet supplies, Nick always makes time for the Quadstar Foundation’s grantees. He said: “My main commercial motivation now is to be able to maintain the funding streams required for these grants. It’s become a massive priority for me, having got to know these incredible young people. And it’s surprisingly hard to fundraise for individuals. That’s why AnimusSurgicalhas just committed to donating 15% of its profits to the Quadstar Foundation.”
In addition to funding, The Quadstar Foundation regularly helps its grantees with everything from job applications to revision techniques, as well as any mental health crises and helping them to find a place to live. Nick added: “It’s an enormous privilege to support these inspiring young vets who have had such a hard slog to get past the ever-increasing barriers they face. Barriers that back in our day didn’t exist.”
Amber Cordice has had a Quadstar Foundation grant for the last four years. Having achieved a first in her undergraduate zoology degree, she took the brave step of embarking on a vet degree at Harper and Keele University. Amber said: “I always wanted to be a vet but when I didn’t quite get the A Level grades I needed, I knew I’d have to find an alternative route.
“Although I got a maintenance loan, I still needed to pay tuition fees, as there is no finance for second degrees. Once I got my place, I deferred for a year and set up a ‘Go Fund Me’ page. After my local newspaper covered my story, I was contacted by a news website for the veterinary industry, which is how Nick found out about the challenges I faced.
“The grant from the Quadstar Foundation pays half my fees for the whole five years, and IVC’s Evidensia Ethnic Diversity Scholarship Scheme covers the other half. On top of the financial support, through Nick’s mentorship I have gained insight into the business side of practice, as well as a paid lambing placement. He and the team have really helped open doors into the vet community, even taking me and other grantees to the London Vet Show and BSAVA events. I really could not be doing it without their help”
Alicia Guarnieri completed a degree in Bioveterinary Science before starting a vet degree at the University of Bristol, where she is in her penultimate year. She said: “I’d managed to save up prior to being offered my place but when Covid hit, most of it went on rent. Like Amber, I decided to defer my place. I looked everywhere for grants, spending hours sifting through guides and asking all the vets I knew, but it all came to a dead end. It was only when I came across Amber’s story that I found out about the Quadstar Foundation and reached out to them. The grant they gave me covers just over a third of my tuition costs.
“Finances are a huge barrier to students taking a second degree, particularly after tuition fees increased. There are many of us in the same boat, and sadly many who turn down their place solely due to cost. Nick and the Quadstar Foundation are truly changing people’s lives by offering this support. Having thought I would never get to this point, I can’t wait to qualify next year and finally become a vet, and I am forever grateful for the help The Quadstar Foundation has provided me.”
Raluca Magadan, a veterinary nurse from Ireland, now on the accelerated graduate course at Bristol University, is the Quadstar Foundation’s most recent vet student grantee. She said: “Doing a second degree was never going to be easy. However, through help from family and locum vet nurse work, I managed to afford my first three years of vet school and made it into final year. This is where the difficulty came, as I had to more than forty hours per week of unpaid rotations work, plus clinical EMS during the holiday breaks, which made it very hard for me to earn the money I needed to afford my final year. At times it meant I had under £100 to survive an entire month on, which became a big physical and mental challenge.
“That’s when the Quadstar Foundation stepped in and took a weight off my shoulders by helping to pay off my outstanding university fees and providing some financial security in my final months. This has been a huge relief and allowed me to finally enjoy my last year at Bristol. I can’t thank everyone at the charity enough.”
Tim Parkin, Head of Bristol Vet School, said: “The number of very capable vet students applying to the University of Bristol Financial Assistance Fund has increased significantly over the last few years. Additional help, such as that provided by The Quadstar Foundation, ensures that thankfully, some of those students can fulfil their dreams.”
The Quadstar Foundation has been helping disadvantaged young people to develop life skills and progress in education since its launch in 2017. To find out more or apply for a grant, visit the Quadstar Foundation website or email Nick.
