ONE Knutsford university student is £500 better off thanks to Knutsford Town Council and Knutsford Lions.

The 2014 Millennium Bursary has been awarded to Jessica Dytham, 19, who is currently Studying English and History at the University of Nottingham.

Jessica will use the grant to help with her dissertation, which will look at de-industrialisation of Nottingham and Manchester. The bursary is the initiative of Knutsford Town Council, supported by Knutsford Lions Club, and has been awarded every year since it was founded in 2000.

This year’s interview panel consisted of town mayor Clr Neil Forbes, Michael Goldman from the Knutsford Lions, and Jennifer Holbrook, former town mayor who saw the introduction during her mayoral year in 2000.

Clr Neil Forbes said: “It proved a challenge to pick a winner from such a disparate range of candidates and the degrees they were studying for. Jessica Dytham ‘edged it’ to win by her passion for her subject, the innovative knowledge her planned paper will bring and how she intends to put her learning to good use in her hoped for career.

"Well done and good luck in your endeavours Jessica.”

Knutsford Lions provide an additional £200 to one lucky candidate and this year Ben Dodd, who is studying Disability Nursing at the University of Chester, clinched the award.

Mike Goldman, of Knutsford Lions, said: “Once again it was a great pleasure to collaborate with Knutsford Town Council in interviewing undergraduates applying for the Millennium Bursary. We are happy to give a supplementary award to Ben Dodd– a worthy runner-up.”