A 19-year-old student has been helped with a laptop and travel costs, thanks to a Dorset Community Foundation education bursary.

The teenager, who lives with his mum and brother, had been struggling with depression and self-harm and was looking for a way to release some of his destructive behaviours.

He really struggled for a time but found that he was able to express his emotions through his artwork and studies. This pushed him to carry on at Brockenhurst College with year two of his Art & Design Level 3 course.

Unfortunately his mum suffered a fall and broke her pelvis, hip, and jaw earlier this year, which resulted in a loss of income for the family.

The student applied for the bursary in the hope that it would ease the financial pressure, and stop his mum feeling that she has let him down.

The new laptop and travel costs really helped with the course. He said he was having to share his old laptop with his brother, adding that without the funding he believed he would not have been able to complete the course.

Find our more about the scheme or apply here.