Parents to launch youth charity in memory of talented student Olivia

THE Milford parents of a gifted university student who was tragically killed last year are launching a charity to support other young people from the New Forest fulfil their potential.

Called Olivia Inspires, it celebrates the memory of 20-year-old Olivia Burt, who died in a horrific accident outside a nightclub in Durham where she was a first year student studying natural sciences.

A former pupil of Milford Primary School who went on to become head girl at Bournemouth School for Girls, Olivia was also a talented sportswoman who sailing internationally, representing Great Britain in various youth classes.

Speaking from their home in Milford, Olivia’s parents Nigel and Paula explained it would have been Olivia’s wish for them to think of others, and so they felt compelled to launch the charity in her memory.

“Olivia was brilliant and talented but more than that she was such a warm, kind, inclusive person,” said Paula. “She was just the sort of person who, when she walked into a room, you felt her warmth – she was kind to everyone and was always looking for ways to help others.”

The charity is due to officially launch with a reception and auction in Lymington tomorrow (Thursday) attended by a number of high-profile guests including Sarah Le May the High Sheriff of Hampshire, Lady Mary Montagu Scott, Sir Desmond Swayne MP and Hallam Mills the Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire.

Nigel, who was the former community affairs manager at Esso refinery at Fawley, said: “We were and still are immensely proud of Olivia – she was an inspiration to others and was always very inclusive in her outlook.

"Olivia has been taken from us, but Olivia Inspires allows her spirit to live on by helping young people in her home, the New Forest, to realise their potential.

“We know that there are real pockets of financial hardship within the New Forest district and our aim is to enable young people who are growing up in families with difficult financial circumstances to be helped to reach their potential in STEM subjects, arts and sports – because those were the areas that Olivia was particularly keen on.”

“Grants could help with sports coaching, music tuition or towards the cost of equipment that a young person might need to attend a college course.”

Olivia was a high achiever in the classroom and on the water, and learnt to sail at Lymington’s Salterns Sailing Club. As a youth she competed in the Optimist, Laser and Radial classes – the latter being the women’s single-handed Olympic class of boat.

She was in the Royal Yachting Association’s junior and youth squads in both optimist and laser, and travelled abroad to compete, representing Britain at the European Laser 4.7 Youth Championships in the Netherlands in 2011 and the Laser Radial Youth European Championships in Denmark in 2014.

After leaving Bournemouth School for Girls with a clutch of top GCSEs and A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry, she spent a gap year gaining industry experience at Gill Research and Development in Lymington.

Nigel said: “She thoroughly enjoyed the time she spent at Gill and made some wonderful friends who will be continuing to support the charity.”

During her gap year Olivia also took it upon herself to study for an A-level in further maths for which she achieved a top grade, after being unable to take it at school due to a timetable clash.

She also undertook the necessary qualifications to become a sailing instructor, working at an outdoor activity centre at Hengistbury Head.

Nigel said: “Olivia was so very bright and talented in lots of areas, and she had an incredible zest for life. She was on the go the whole time – always learning something new or doing something to challenge herself.”

Olivia joined Durham University as a first year student in September 2017 and quickly became a member of the university sailing team, played saxophone in her college band and joined the university entertainments committee.

The master of Durham’s University College, Professor David Held, described her as an “exceptional sportswoman” and a “bright and outstandingly able student”.

Olivia died after an incident in which a barrier toppled over outside a nightclub in Durham in February last year.

Nigel said: “Her death came as a shock to everyone, all the more so because of her kindness, selflessness, and courage, which shone through in everything she did.

“Olivia achieved many things in her short life and always tried to be the best that she could be in everything she did. As a gifted pupil at Bournemouth School for Girls, she was fully involved in her school community, leading to her being chosen as head girl.

“She did all of this and much more with an infectious smile and a willingness to help others.”

Since announcing their plans to set up a charity in Olivia’s memory, Nigel and Paula say they have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from the community.

Yesterday Olivia Inspires had already secured donations worth more than £7,000 which will go directly to help children and young people aged 11 to 18 years, whose families live in the New Forest District Council area and who are facing financial hardship.

The launch event in Lymington will also feature an auction of “money can’t buy” experiences that were gifted to the charity.

These included a courtyard barbecue for 10 at Palace House, Beaulieu, a make-your-own-perfume consultation from New Forest Aromatics, a day on the water coached by two Olympic legends and a behind-the-scenes tour of ExxonMobil Mobil Fawley refinery, three paddock passes for the 2020 British Grand Prix at Silverstone and a tour of a nuclear submarine hosted by a rear admiral.

Nigel said: “We have had amazing support from the New Forest community and from further afield. I don’t know whether it is because Olivia was so well known and loved by so many people, or whether it because everyone was just so shocked by the awfulness of the tragedy that befell her, or because this is just a very good and necessary cause.

“We really hope the charity is something that people will get behind and support – a lady from Milford has already contacted us offering to host a First Friday lunch at Milford Community Centre to raise money for the charity – and we would love other people to get in touch with their ideas about how they can raise money.”

“This is really just the beginning – we have been talking to so many people already with ideas about how they can support us.”

Paula added: “I know that Olivia would not have wanted us to sit here and be sad. This is what she would have wanted – for us to do something that can really help other young people.”

Olivia Inspires is now accepting grant applications, usually awards of up to £500. These will be for items or services which enable young people to develop their potential in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the arts and sport.

To find out more visit www.oliviainspires.org.uk.