#Bar2Bar Cycle: Help an aspiring barrister achieve his dream

Hello, thanks for being here! / Shwmae, diolch am fod yma!

My name is Harry. I'm an aspiring barrister from a working-class background. I'm on a mission to fund the Bar Course: the final stage of my legal studies before becoming a legal advocate in England and Wales.

Here's a summary of my campaign in three steps. For a longer version, see further below:

1. I am cycling 'Bar2Bar' -- 305 miles from Barsham (Suffolk) to Barmouth (Gwynedd): the easternmost place in England and westernmost place in Wales called 'Bar-,' in honour of the two nations forming our jurisdiction, and my own English-Welsh heritage. I'm doing this to help fund my living costs for a year of intense full-time study in Central London. As I have done throughout my higher education, I will also be working in part-time roles to support myself during the Bar Course.

2. I hope, in the process, to demonstrate to other young people from similar backgrounds that their circumstances, financial or otherwise, do not circumscribe what they can achieve in life.

3. Any funds I raise in excess of my own personal £12,858 target will be donated to The 93% Club -- the UK's largest state school alumni network -- in aid of their ongoing Comprehensive Crowdfund, unlocking opportunity, support and access for state schoolers across the country. Even better news? Every pound they raise for their campaign is matched, effectively doubling your donation. I'm also pledging to donate at least £15,000 to Bridging the Bar - an incredible charity supporting barristers from backgrounds like mine to thrive at the Bar through mentorship, work experience and skill-building opportunities - over the course of my career as a barrister.

Interested to hear more? Let me tell you a bit about my story:

I am a first-generation university graduate brought up between three very different working-class communities in Cumbria, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Throughout my higher education, I have grafted my way through continuous financial adversity, holding down part-time jobs while taking a First-Class undergraduate degree from Cambridge and producing a cohort-topping Masters dissertation at Oxford.

In pursuit of my dream to become a barrister in England and Wales, I have recently secured a prestigious, merit-based scholarship from Lincoln's Inn -- one of the four 'Inns of Court,' professional associations which connect barristers of all ages and stages -- in support of my mission to build a practice at the Bar, where working-class people are traditionally underrepresented.

It is difficult to overstate how much the Inn's support means to me, and the vote of confidence in my future career that it signifies (having been judged by a panel of experienced barristers). This generous scholarship will, thankfully, cover my Bar Course tuition fee, and a portion of my rent for the coming academic year. However, I still need to find the funds to support a year's living costs in Central London.

Since finishing my latest round of exams in May, I have explored every possible option: job applications, additional scholarships, charitable trusts, and more. I do not qualify for a bank loan.

A government Postgraduate Student Loan can be obtained for an extended, 12-month version (called an LLM) of my intended 8-month course. However, I am unable to obtain this, as I already used a Postgraduate Student Loan to fund my Masters at Oxford, several years before I decided to become a barrister. One Postgraduate Student Loan is allowed per student, and I do not meet any of the limited exceptions.

My personal target in this Bar2Bar campaign is therefore the amount I would receive were the Postgraduate Student Loan to be available to me: £12,858.

I am extremely fortunate to come from a deeply supportive family, but that same level of support cannot be offered financially. My father is a self-employed carpenter and joiner who left school at 16, and has worked his entire adult life to provide security and stability for his family, weathering some challenging times. My mother was, until her recent retirement, a district nurse and physiotherapy assistant in the NHS.

My dad instilled in me the value of hard work and resilience. My mum has imparted her profound sense of service and care for others. Both qualities are reflected in this Bar2Bar campaign. Both provide the guiding principles for my intended career.

One of the central reasons why I decided to pursue the Bar was to use my legal education to advocate on behalf of others and, in doing so, make a positive difference. This ethos runs deep: as a student, I was part of the early volunteer team supporting The 93% Club. Over seven years, I have helped hundreds of disadvantaged students with free GCSE/A-Level tuition and university/careers advice. I currently volunteer my time for a workers' union representing cleaners and porters, some of the most vulnerable employees in our society.

I have the work ethic, tenacity and initiative to build a successful business in this highly competitive industry. I am determined to 'pay forward' the immense good fortune of my education to help improve the lives of others, be it through advocacy or mentoring. The only thing I lack, at this early stage, is the financial buy-in.

But there is something more important than money at stake in this campaign.

More than any funds I may raise, I am doing this to show other young people from similar backgrounds three things:

Firstly, that your circumstances, be it financial or otherwise, do not have to define what you can achieve in life.

Secondly, that you may not be from a rich background, but your background is rich and worth acknowledging, if only to show how far you have come, and even worth celebrating (#stateschoolproud).

Thirdly, it is okay to ask for help and support when you need it.

And that's where you come in.

Times are not easy for many people right now, but if you feel my story has resonated with you, please consider sharing this GoFundMe on social media, or donating to my campaign.

In exchange for your support, I am making two pledges:

1) If my personal target is reached, further funds raised will be donated to The 93% Club to support state-educated and working-class students like me to access valuable mentorship and careers opportunities.

2) I will donate a minimum of £15,000 to Bridging the Bar over the course of my career.

Follow me on LinkedIn or X for daily updates from my #Bar2Bar Cycle Challenge, taking place in late July 2025!

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. / Diolch i chi am gymryd yr amser i ddarllen fy stori.

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