Once upon a time .. in a land far away (Craigmillar actually!) there was me - younger Stacey. Back then I knew that I wanted to work with children - they are great fun to be around, they are honest and they definitely live for the moment - what's not to like? There was no doubt however that working with children was also challenging - babysitting my wee cousin Kayleigh taught me that (sorry Kaylz!) but despite the challenges I still loved it and continued on down the path to build my career. At the age of 17 I started my qualifications to become a childcare practitioner which was the same year I became a mummy to my beautiful daughter Abbey. Despite the challenge of being a young mum and studying at the same time I persevered and completed my HNC Childcare & Education.

After working with children for many years I decided take on the challenge of studying for my BA Childhood Practice. This has been such a valuable learning experience which has helped to further develop my academic ability and skills but has also helped me to learn more about myself as a person and a professional. Having come to the end of this journey it has ignited a desire to do more; a desire to further my studies and to work hard so that I can and will make a difference in the lived experiences of children and young people within my community and further afield.

BUT ...

The issue I am facing with furthering my studies is the funding of it - It is frustrating to think that although I have the academic ability to study at Masters level the barrier I face is money and could potentially halt my progress. Despite being able to access some funds (SAAS) they do not cover the full fee so I need to try and raise the rest - this is where I hope YOU can help. I need to raise a minimum of £2500 ...

Any donation, no matter how small, would be gratefully received and each £1 donated is one step closer to me being able to secure my space on the MSc Childhood Studies course.

Thank you!