How tragic death of Manjit Wolstenholme is being remembered with new fund to help young people

Ms Wolstenholme, inset, died in 2017. She was the first female chair in the Bradford-based company’s history and the first woman from an ethnic minority background to chair a FTSE 100 company.

The Manjit Wolstenholme Fund has been established with support from Provident Financial to award grants to support young people in Bradford to achieve their full potential through educational and aspirational opportunities, regardless of background.

Thanks to an initial donation from Provident Financial and support from Ms Wolstenholme’s family, the fund will offer grants of £5,000-£10,000 and is currently open for applications from community groups and charities across Bradford.

Neil Wolstenholme, Manjit’s husband, said: “Manjit’s own experiences meant she believed passionately that no one should be denied the chance to achieve their true potential as a result of their background or where they live.

“We want to honour this passion and look forward to welcoming applications from a range of projects across the district.”

Sharon Orr, community affairs manager at Provident Financial, said: “Manjit was an inspirational woman and business leader.

We were lucky to have her as our first female chair and CEO.

“We are proud to be able to support her family in establishing this Fund which supports her belief in creating opportunities for young people to reach their life goals.”

Kate Hainsworth, chief executive at GiveBradford and Leeds Community Foundation which manage the fund, said: “We are delighted to support Manjit’s family with the distribution of grants that will make a real and tangible difference to the lives of young people and their families in Bradford.”

The Manjit Wolstenholme Fund is open for applications until noon on October 1.

For more details on how to apply, please visit: https://leedscf.org.uk/the-manjit-wolstenholme-fund