Carrying forward
The Armitage Foundation’s work
In2MedSchool is honoured to continue the legacy of The Armitage Foundation (TAF), following its decision to wind up as a charity and entrust its remaining funds to support our shared mission.
We are deeply grateful to The Armitage Foundation's Trustees for choosing In2MedSchool to carry this work forward, whose mission closely reflects our own. Their confidence reflects the strong alignment between our organisations and our shared commitment to widening access to medicine for young people from underrepresented backgrounds.
The Armitage Foundation charity played an important role in widening access to medicine for young people from underrepresented backgrounds in its years of operation 2016 to 2026. TAF was founded on a simple but powerful belief: any young person, irrespective of their background or starting point, should have an opportunity to pursue a career in medicine. For many students, especially those without doctors in the family or access to specialist support, the barriers to medicine begin early. They may not know what subjects to choose, where to find work experience, how medical school applications work, or whether someone from their background can truly belong in the profession.
TAF responded to this by creating long-term medical outreach programmes that supported students from early secondary school through to the point of application. Its programmes introduced students to healthcare careers, helped them build confidence and self-belief, connected them with medical student role models, and gave them the knowledge and encouragement to make informed choices about their future.
At In2MedSchool, we share that mission deeply. We exist to support students from widening participation backgrounds who want to study medicine and healthcare-related degrees, providing free mentoring, application support, resources, events, work experience, school engagement and enrichment opportunities, delivered by our national community of volunteers.
Through the transfer of The Armitage Foundation's generous legacy gift, In2MedSchool will build on this shared mission by expanding our support for younger students. This next chapter brings together The Armitage Foundation’s commitment to early intervention approach with In2MedSchool’s national reach, helping more young people access the encouragement, information and role models they need at an earlier stage.
Why this Matters
Widening access to medicine is about more than supporting applications. It starts by helping students imagine themselves as future doctors and see medicine as a career that is open to them.
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For many young people, the journey begins years before UCAT preparation, personal statements or interviews... It begins with a first conversation, a first role model, a first visit, or a first moment of realising: “This could be for me.”
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That belief was at the heart of The Armitage Foundation's work, and it is the spirit we are proud to continue.
What this means for In2MedSchool
The Armitage Foundation's legacy gift will enable In2MedSchool to strengthen and expand our work with younger students, ensuring that support begins well before the medical school application process.
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Building on our existing mentoring, events, resources and national school engagement programmes, these funds will help us reach more schools, support more pupils, and introduce students to careers in medicine and healthcare at an earlier stage. In particular, we will continue developing programmes that inspire younger secondary school students, helping them understand the pathways into medicine while building the confidence and aspiration needed to pursue them.
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The funding will also help us provide practical support to students from widening participation backgrounds through initiatives such as legacy bursaries and application support, helping to reduce some of the financial barriers associated with pursuing a medical career. In addition, it will support the continued growth of our outreach and enrichment activities, enabling more school visits, interactive workshops, and opportunities for students to engage with medical student and doctor role models.
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This work will focus on helping younger students to:
- explore careers in medicine and healthcare;
- understand the subject choices and experiences that keep future opportunities open;
- develop confidence, motivation and self-belief;
- meet relatable medical student and doctor role models;
- build the knowledge and skills needed for future applications; and
- recognise that a career in medicine is achievable for talented students from all backgrounds.
By reaching students earlier, we hope to inspire not only those already considering medicine, but also those who may never have seen it as a realistic possibility. In doing so, we will continue The Armitage Foundation's commitment to widening participation while extending its impact through In2MedSchool's national network of volunteers, schools and university partners.
Thank you to The Armitage Foundation community
As The Armitage Foundation closes its chapter, we are grateful to The Armitage Foundation’s founders, trustees, staff, volunteers, ambassadors, partner schools, partner universities, advisors, donors and supporters for the work they have achieved over many years.
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Most importantly, we recognise the many students whose ambition and determination inspired this work. The students who took part in TAF’s programmes and their journeys demonstrate why widening participation matters, and their success will continue to inspire future generations.
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We are proud to carry The Armitage Foundation's legacy, ensuring that its commitment to widening access to medicine continues to make a lasting difference and supports future generations of aspiring doctors.
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This will allow us to better support aspiring medics aiming to study Medicine in the UK.