Gonville & Caius College is delighted to accept a donation of £975,000 from the Bestway Foundation to fully endow a PhD scholarship for a student from Pakistan to study at the College, named in honour of Lord Choudrey.

Sir Anwar Pervez OBE H Pk, Lord Zameer Choudrey CBE SI Pk and The Honourable Haider Choudrey, who read Economics at Caius from 2006 to 2009, attended a lunch at the Master’s Lodge to present the gift on behalf of the Bestway Foundation.

Her Majesty’s former High Commissioner to Pakistan His Excellency Sir Nicolas Barrington KCMG, CVO, Caius Master Dr Pippa Rogerson and Caius Senior Bursar Robert Gardiner were also present.

The total endowment will be £1.3m, as a balance of £325,000 will be matched from the University of Cambridge and held within the Cambridge Trust.

Founded in 1987, the Bestway Foundation is the charitable trust of the Bestway Group. The Bestway Group donates 2.5% of its profits annually to the Bestway Foundation, which focused its charitable efforts predominantly in the health and education sectors.

Caius Master, Dr Rogerson, said: “We are thrilled to receive such a generous gift and to name a PhD scholarship in honour of Lord Choudrey.

“The Bestway Foundation has a history of supporting students from the UK and overseas to further their studies. We look forward to welcoming further students from Pakistan who win this scholarship. They will add to the diversity of our already cosmopolitan MCR.

“The Lord Choudrey Scholarship will have a lasting impact at Caius College and shows the importance of philanthropic donations in allowing students from underrepresented backgrounds to continue their studies.”

Caius Master, Dr Pippa Rogerson, left, and Sir Anwar Pervez signing the scholarship agreement

Haider Choudrey (Economics 2006), Sir Anwar Pervez, Dr Pippa Rogerson, Sir Nicolas Barrington, Lord Zameer Choudrey and Robert Gardiner in Caius Court