An annual donation of £10,000 has been set up by Vail Williams to fund bursaries for students in Real Estate at the University of Reading, in memory of their former Partner Chris Perry who died in 2009.
Chris Perry was an Equity Partner at Vail Williams for 20 years and sat as a member of the Executive Board. He firmly believed in encouraging people from a variety of backgrounds to join the property profession and was responsible for supporting many people in their career development, including through the RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) Assessment of Professional Competence.
The £10,000 annual donation helps to fund bursaries for BSc and MSc students at the School of Real Estate and Planning at the University of Reading, who face substantial financial hardship. In addition, Vail Williams is a Corporate Patron, supporting the career activities and projects organised by the Reading Real Estate Foundation. This includes mentoring and internship schemes which allow students to gain experience whilst spending time at Vail Williams.
One recipient, Lizzie Rolley (BSc Real Estate), commented: “The bursary offers much more than just financial assistance. The contact and support from previous and current professionals within the Real Estate industry allows me to develop networking in areas which otherwise might not have been open to me.”
Stuart Dawson, Head of HR at Vail Williams added: “Chris Perry was always very supportive of people wishing to develop their careers in the Real Estate profession and so we felt that setting up the bursaries was a very appropriate memorial to him. He would definitely have approved of our links with the Real Estate Foundation and the University of Reading and the support that we are now giving to students.”
