London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Durham University's biggest donor pulls support over Covid rules

Durham University's biggest donor pulls support over Covid rules

Durham University's biggest donor has withdrawn his financial support over what he described as "ridiculous and ineffective" Covid-19 restrictions.

Mark Hillery, who donated £7m between 2015 and 2021, said students were being left as the "final members of society" to be subjected to the rules.

He also hit out at January's temporary reintroduction of online teaching.

The university said it appreciated his support and added that health, safety and wellbeing were a priority.

Hedge fund manager Mr Hillery told student newspaper Palatinate - which first reported the story - that he would not "visit Durham again while there is a single Covid-related rule imposed on the students".

He has also resigned from the external advisory board of his old college, Collingwood, and has ceased all dialogue with the university.

Collingwood received £4m in donations from Mr Hillery in 2016, which funded the 200-seater Mark Hillery Arts Centre, a yoga studio, bar conservatory and expanded a junior common room and gym.

He has also visited the college to give talks on finance, and has been known to put generous amounts behind the Collingwood bar.


He said the "principal trigger" for withdrawing support was "the insistence to persist with restrictions and impositions on healthy 20-year-olds" that were "way beyond those placed on the rest of society" since the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

"These go against government guidelines. To resort yet again to online teaching at the start of this term was a disgrace," he added.

"Durham, and many other higher education establishments, are leaving students as the final members of society to still be subjected to these ineffective and ridiculous rules.

"That seems both surreal and unjust. This is not how we should be prioritising within our society. The younger generations have been subjected to enough of this."

The university says it has always prioritised health and safety during the pandemic


The editor of Palatinate, Max Kendix, said the loss of Mr Hillery's support was a huge blow "financially and reputationally" for the university.

"Other alumni might be looking at this and saying: 'what's going wrong with Durham are they not employing the right Covid policies?'," he said.

"The reaction on campus has been quite muted. Most students are used to Covid policies and have lived through lockdowns, so now really feels quite free.

"So there is some tension there between what alumni are saying, what Mark Hillery is saying and what students are saying."

Max Kendix, editor of Palatinate, said losing Mr Hillery's support was a blow to the university's finances and reputation


Mr Kendix said Collingwood students were particularly unhappy at Mr Hillery's stance as he had been known, on occasion, to put £10,000 behind the bar during visits.

He said Covid measures had divided opinion on campus with many students believing they were necessary and others getting frustrated having to do lateral flow tests (LFTs) and wear face coverings.

Earlier on in the pandemic students had felt unfairly targeted, according to Mr Kendix, as the university had its own "police force" which fined those having house parties.

"Students go to nightclubs and they are packed, but in lectures we have to wear masks," he said

"You have to do LFTs if going to sport matches even if you are an outdoor spectator - this seems such a strange policy."

In January the university reintroduced some online learning for two weeks due to high cases of the Omicron variant in the north-east of England, "but continued to offer laboratory and practical classes and small group teaching".

A spokesperson called Mr Hillery "a generous benefactor" and said it appreciated his support.

"In a few cases, we have some classes online because some staff have vulnerabilities or are self-isolating, and some students who have not yet been able to return from overseas," a statement said.

"Our approach to managing the Covid-19 pandemic has always prioritised the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, students and wider community.

"We have been guided at all times by the local trajectory of the pandemic which varied at different times across the UK."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×