A STUDENT can embark on his university dissertation with an easier mind thanks to a grant from the town council and Knutsford Lions.

The 2013 Millennium Bursary has this year been awarded to George Morris who is studying History at Clare College, Cambridge.

George is a former St Nicholas Catholic High School student and is in his second year of his degree course.

The 20-year-old said the £300 prize money will go towards research for his dissertation on Thatcherism next year.

“While I’m excited by working in the archives, I will need a bit of money to be able to fund myself given the poor state of funding in higher education,” he said.

“So this money will help cover the expense of that.”

George, who wishes to remain in academia after his undergraduate course, went straight to the Cambridge University Press bookshop after finding out he was awarded the bursary on December 18.

The bursary is the initiative of Knutsford Town Council, supported by Knutsford Lions Club, and has been awarded every year since it was founded in 2000.

Applicants had to submit a maximum 200-word statement demonstrating how the award would benefit their studies, with particular reference to how it may help with a project or dissertation.

Mike Goldman, the Knutsford & District Lions representative on the interviewing panel, said: “We had a number of strong candidates this year, but George Morris was outstanding, both in terms of his academic success to date, his passion for his subject, and his future aspirations.”

Two smaller grants were awarded to candidates who impressed this year’s panel, which comprised of Mike, Deputy Mayor Neil Forbes and former town councillor Jennifer Holbrook.

Andrew Beaumont, an American Studies undergraduate at the University of Hull, was awarded £100 and David Creaser, who is studying Electronic Engineering with Music Tech Systems at the University of York, was awarded £50.

Congratulate George, Andrew and David by commenting below.