Classroom named in honour of Lyndhurst couple who run STEM bursary at Brockenhurst College

Retired Lyndhurst couple John and Marion Greenwood – who finance a STEM bursary at Brockenhurst College – have had a classroom named in their honour.

A surprise naming ceremony for the facility, which is a Mac suite and high-tech conference room, was sprung on the Greenwoods during a recent campus visit that also marked Mr Greenwood’s 90^th birthday.

The couple only realised what was happening when college officials pointed to a plaque bearing their names as they toured the STEM centre where classroom is located.

Mr Greenwood said he was “bowled over” by the gesture, adding that it had brought a tear to his eye.

Alongside special guests, the couple then adjourned to MJ’s, Brockenhurst College’s fine-dining restaurant, for canapes, drinks and birthday cake.

Mr Greenwood said: “It isn’t our aim to receive any recognition for our efforts – we just want to give talented and hardworking young people a leg-up so they can reach their full potential.”

Among those gathered at MJ’s to greet and thank the Greenwoods was this year’s Greenwood Bursary recipient, Keagan Love.

The former New Forest Academy pupil has since secured a place to study Chemistry at the University of Oxford and will be the first in his family to attend university.

After learning about his bursary award earlier this year, he said: “This is a wonderful opportunity that I have been given and I want to thank the Greenwoods for their time and generosity, and for believing in me – they are lovely people.”

Mr and Mrs Greenwood established the Brockenhurst College Greenwood Bursary in 2019.

Each year since, a talented and hardworking STEM student from Brockenhurst College, who faces financial hardship, has been selected to receive a university education in a STEM subject.

The bursary covers all three years of an undergraduate university course.

Brockenhurst College Vice Principal, Simon Lovegrove, said: “On behalf of Brockenhurst College, I wish to thank Mr and Mrs Greenwood wholeheartedly for their extraordinary generosity and for sharing our enthusiasm for advancement through education.”