PHILANTHROPIST Lord Leverhulme's desire was to provide an excellent education for every children of ability, irrespective of financial means as he created the Bolton School Foundation in 1915.

Now Bolton School has been recognised for its work to ensure that remains at its heart.

The school ­— one of the country's leading and the borough's top performing ­—has won this year's Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE) Schools' Fundraising Campaign of the Year Award for its work to provide places for bright youngsters, regardless of their financial background.

The school launched its 100 Campaign For Bursaries to fund places for children to study for free or at reduced costs.

Today one in five children attending either the girls’ or boys’ division senior school ­— receive assistance with their fees and, of these, half have all their fees paid in full.

Head of development Laura Firth and development manager Laura Rooney collected the award at a ceremony held at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole Hotel during the IDPE Conference, at which headmistress of the girls’ division Sue Hincks was also in attendance, in her capacity as 2019 President of the Girls' Schools Association.

Mrs Firth, who had earlier delivered a session at the conference with headmaster of the boys’ division Philip Britton, said: "Our long-term ambition is to build a bursary fund able to support one in three children, replicating the level of access enjoyed during the Direct Grant era.

"Using the School’s centenary celebrations as a catalyst, in September 2014 we began the 100 Campaign for Bolton School Bursaries, with the aim of raising £5m by August 2018, a target we were delighted to achieve.’"

During the four years of the 100 Campaign, every £1 spent on fundraising resulted in £6.40 for the school. Participation in the 100 Campaign came overwhelmingly from alumni but also from former parents, current parents and charitable trusts.

The 100 Campaign galvanised new and existing donors in their support for the Bursary Fund, embedding the "school’s ambitious long-term vision for open access within the psyche of the entire School community".