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Margaret Bloomfield
Creating St Mary’s College’s first permanently endowed scholarships
After completing her undergraduate degree at Durham, Margaret Bloomfield (English Literature, St Mary’s College, 1944-47) undertook a further year’s study to obtain her teaching qualification. On completing her studies, she had a long and fulfilling career in education.
She was an English teacher and head of department in Scunthorpe and then went on to work at a school in Harlow where she eventually became head teacher, at a time when it was very rare to for a woman to be head of a secondary school.
Margaret remembered Durham, and specifically St Mary’s College in her will with the words, “In gratitude for my four happy years at St Mary’s which made possible my rewarding career”.
Margaret particularly wanted to support students from lower income households, and so she left a gift in her will to create the Margaret Bloomfield Scholarships, the first permanently endowed, fully financed scholarships in St Mary’s College’s history.
These scholarships will be transformational for St Mary’s College. It will enable students from lower income households to benefit from Durham’s unique collegiate education and from the particular supportive environment of St Mary’s. Miss Bloomfield’s ongoing support for the College is typical of the sense of belonging which successive generations of our community have fostered. We are full of admiration for her lifelong commitment to education and grateful for the support of all of our generous benefactors.