Graduates Molly and Amy praise university’s wellbeing support

Two 2025 Huddersfield graduates have praised the university’s network of support for them as students with experience of living in care or without direct family support.

Molly Kirkham and Amy Gallop were both helped by Huddersfield’s Wellbeing and Disability Service, whose support includes on financial matters, accommodation, careers advice even after graduation, educational support, and emotional counselling.

Molly, who graduated in Law with Criminology in July 2025, was in the middle of her exams at college in January 2022 when her mum died suddenly.  

Molly’s mum had raised Molly and her two younger siblings alone, so Molly was left to arrange the funeral in the midst of her final year at college and around the time she was applying for universities.

Discover more about our student wellbeing services

But Molly had already set her heart on Huddersfield following a look around at an Open Day, saying, “I visited here with Mum in November 2021, and I loved it. I just knew, as soon as I came on campus - I said that this was the place for me. Even Mum felt it was right for me.”

Made aware that her mental health challenges made her eligible for a Disability Students Allowance, Molly was given a laptop and access to mentoring and support services for the kind of day to day matters that many students either do not need or take for granted.

“Sarah Davies from Student Services was like a mum to me,” she adds, “and Caroline Milne really helped plan things out for me. With everything I had had to deal with, my head was foggy when doing little tasks whereas I was fine with big tasks, so my head went out of the window. Caroline helped me plan the little tasks in our once-a-week meetings, and it helped me no end. The counselling from Venessa Ama and the support from Rebecca Hayes, the Care Leavers support coordinator from Wellbeing, were also invaluable even after I had finished my course.

“Overcoming that first step of admitting that you need help is the hardest thing, but then it is done. If I’d not had that first meeting with Sarah, I’d never have walked the walk, but thankfully I had that first conversation with someone who wanted to listen.”

Molly, who is also the first to graduate with a degree from her family, is now considering a career in teaching or mentoring, and is grateful for the help she received from the university.

“If I didn’t have the support from all these people, I would not have graduated. Seeing the work that they do has made me consider going into a role like that. If I could help offer that to someone else, with my experiences, I’d feel like I’ve done a good job.”

Amy Gallop had lived in foster care since the age of nine, and was delighted that her foster family were all in attendance when she collected her degree in Social Work at graduation in November 2025.

With her first year disrupted by the latter stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy leant on much of the same support available to Molly for the bulk of her time at Huddersfield.

A bursary, counselling support, equipment and access to books, even in a year spent on placement, all helped Amy achieve her degree which she is now applying in her role as a social worker with Bolton Council’s children’s safeguarding team.

“Rebecca Hayes has been absolutely fantastic with me for over four years, and still checks in with me now,” says Amy. “She even made me aware I qualified for £200 of support for graduation day for photos, gowns and things like that, which I never realised could be so expensive. Wellbeing have been really good and on top of things for me.”

The university is partnered with charity the Samantha Sykes Foundation Trust, who provide computer equipment and books for care experienced students like Amy.

If you would like more details about the support available for care experienced students, please contact Rebecca Hayes R.hayes@hud.ac.uk.