In 2017, Ingrid Bekono, an L&Q resident living in South West London, was awarded one of the L&Q Foundation’s Turlogh O’Brien scholarships – a programme which gives young people living in financially excluded households an accessible route into higher education. Alongside regular contact from L&Q, she received three annual £5,000 contributions towards her degree, a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS) at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

Upon entering her final year, she had an opportunity to take part in an international placement abroad. Axis Europe, one of L&Q’s Major Works Investment Programme partners, agreed to provide the full cost of £2,000 to cover this trip and support Ingrid fulfil the last leg of her medical journey.

Axis Europe is a property services partner delivering part of L&Q’s Major Works Investment Programme, a 15-year project which is seeing the organisation invest almost £3bn to improve the safety, quality and environmental performance of its residents’ homes. As part of the programme, it is committed to making a lasting social impact by supporting L&Q residents and their communities.

Ingrid said, “Now I have received this funding, I hope to gain insight into healthcare in other parts of the world and further improve my clinical skills and knowledge so that I can become a better clinician.”

When asked what her aspirations are for the future, Ingrid, comments: “I hope to become an ophthalmologist one day. For me, it’s the perfect balance of medicine and surgery, and being able to improve someone’s quality of life by providing them good eye care is so fulfilling. One day, I’d also like to use my training to help those in lower-resourced countries who unfortunately may not have access to adequate eye care, and often fall victim to easily reversible causes of blindness.”

“I grew up in a single-parent household in South London. Growing up I didn’t see many people with aspirations like my own. To that end, it sometimes felt as if those very aspirations weren’t achievable for people like me. Today, I’m pleased to see black and minority ethnic groups beginning to excel in many important fields. I am grateful for all the excellent teachers I’ve had along the way; L&Q and the various other programmes that have supported me; and my personal and academic mentors for their encouragement.”

Mark Newstead, Director of Major Programmes at L&Q adds, “We know Ingrid will go on to achieve great things and are proud to have supported her educational journey towards becoming a doctor since 2017. We’ve partnered with some fantastic, like-minded firms to deliver the industry’s largest housing investment programme, all of whom share our mission to create social value in the communities we serve. We’d like to extend a big thank you to Axis Europe for stepping in to support Ingrid take on this exciting next step overseas.”

Joe Ibrahim, MD, Projects at Axis Europe said, “Axis is proud to help Ingrid take part in her international placement which is part of her Medicine degree.

“As well as keeping homes safe and comfortable for L&Q residents, we, along with L&Q, firmly believe in additionally supporting residents in ways that leave a lasting legacy. We were delighted when we were invited to be part of this exciting programme and wish Ingrid all the best for her travels now, and her future career in Medicine.”

About L&Q:

​​​​​​​L&Q is one of the UK’s leading housing associations and developers

• Social purpose is central to everything we do. As a not-for-profit organisation, all the money we make is reinvested into helping house those in greatest need

• The safety of residents and colleagues is paramount. We are part of the government’s Early Adopters Group, tasked with understanding Dame Judith Hackitt’s post-Grenfell recommendations, and spearheading a vision to create an industry that puts safety first. We have committed £250m to date, but expect that investment could be as high as £450m over the lifetime of our building safety programme

• The 250,000 residents who make their homes with us are L&Q’s priority. Residents are at the heart of L&Q, and our governance structures ensure they have a powerful voice throughout the business

• Our charitable Foundation supports the communities that our residents create. The Foundation has supported thousands of our vulnerable customers through the pandemic and awarded grants to good causes that promote aspiration, confidence and opportunity

• L&Q Living provides care and support services to people with a wide range of needs.  This includes older people, people with learning difficulties and mental health needs, and people affected by homelessness
• For further information please visit www.lqgroup.org.uk