A scholarship scheme has been launched by the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen to honour one of their most successful graduates.
The Ena Baxter Memorial Foundation will provide undergraduate students with funding of £2,000 for each year of their studies, with a further £500 supplied by Access RGU.
The scholarship has been set up in memory of Ena Baxter, who died in January this year.
She graduated from Gray’s School of Art in 1948 and went on to work as an art teacher at Milne’s High School in Fochabers.
She become known for her paintings of flowers and still life, and her work is exhibited at Duff House in Banff.
But the talented painter is best known for her involvement with the Moray-based Baxters Food Group, where she worked with husband Gordon to make inventive soups to really put the firm on the map.
She and her husband were great supporters of the arts, and the award will continue her efforts.
Mark Roach, a first year communication design student, has been named as the first benefactor of the grant.
The 23-year-old, who is originally from Glasgow, said: “I feel very honoured and surprised to receive the scholarship.”
He said he hoped the scholarship would boost his artistic ambitions, adding: “I’m an avid photographer with a particular interest in film photography, but specialised films such as infrared and red scale have always been out of my budget.
“This gives me a great opportunity to splash out and maybe make some big prints as well.”
Kay Jackson, the foundation manager of the Ena Baxter Foundation, said she was delighted the scholarship had been set up.
She said: “Gordon and Ena spent their lifetime supporting the arts in many different ways.
“They were also keen to help young people strive to be the best they could be in their chosen field.
“Ena often spoke of her happy student days in Aberdeen and it is a fitting tribute to her memory to create this scholarship at Gray’s School of Art.”
