STAR STUDENT: Oliver Welsby has earned a scholarship to help towards studying medicine and surgery at Newcastle University
STAR STUDENT: Oliver Welsby has earned a scholarship to help towards studying medicine and surgery at Newcastle University

A FORMER Teesdale School pupil has won a scholarship towards studying medicine and surgery at Newcastle University.

The Mewhort Scholarship was awarded to Oliver Welsby after he achieved two A* and an A at A level.

The scheme is open to all of the school’s year 13 students and offers a top award of £1,500 for each year of study at university, as well as six other awards of £1,000 for each year of study.

During Oliver’s interview, he impressed the trustees with his knowledge of the course he is going to study and his ambitions to specialise in neurosurgery. They said Oliver’s volunteering as a cricket coach and his community work as part of his gold Duke of Edinburgh award show what a well-rounded, talented and engaging young man he is.

Head of sixth form Dr Simon Henderson said: “The Mewhort Scholarship continues to be an amazing scheme for our students and is just one of the many opportunities that we are able to offer. It is always a pleasure to sit in on the Mewhort interviews and hear students speak with such maturity and passion about their plans for the future.

“All of the candidates are such talented individuals and the trustees had a difficult job deciding who should be awarded the top scholarship.”

The other winners this year were Eve Buxton, Jonathan Proud, Evie Scott, Katleho Semuli, Grace Tarpey and Libby Wheeler. They will each receive £1,000 for each of their years at university.

Dr Henderson added: “A huge thanks to the Mewhort Trust and the trustees who attended the interview day. They, and we, look forward to hearing more about the achievements of this year’s scholarship recipients in the future.”