Ross Foundation & Lucas Family each donate £1 million to Lincoln Medical School

The Ross Foundation, founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist David Ross and Lincoln brought up and educated, Rob Lucas have each donated £1 million to Lincoln Medical School.  The School will name its main building as the Ross Lucas Medical Sciences Building in recognition of these donations.

The University of Lincoln is a flagship for how the levelling up agenda works in practice, demonstrating how an organisation can support its region to thrive and make it a great place to both live and work.  The University is committed to providing access to higher education for all students with the ambition and ability to succeed, regardless of their background.

Lincoln Medical School was established as a partnership between the universities of Nottingham and Lincoln. With a focus on advancing healthcare in rural settings, the school plays a major role in training future generations of hospital doctors and GPs to serve communities across Greater Lincolnshire and surrounding rural areas. Featuring cutting edge medical technology, laboratories and teaching rooms, the main building is also carbon neutral, benefitting from solar panels and a ‘green wall’ which supports the heating and cooling of the building.

The donation to the Lincoln Medical School follows over a decade of support in the area from Lincolnshire-born entrepreneur David Ross.  Local projects supported by the Foundation have included the Lincoln Cathedral Connected Project, the Magna Carta Vault at Lincoln Castle, the creation of the David Ross Sports Village at the University of Nottingham, and the David Ross Education Trust, which operates 34 primary and secondary schools nationally, including 10 in Lincolnshire.  To date, the Ross Foundation has issued nearly £27 million in grants to increase access to education, the arts and sports across the UK.

Rob Lucas was born and brought up in Lincoln and attended Eastgate, Westgate and Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School.  His wife, Sara also lived in Nettleham and attended Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School.

David Ross, Chairman of the Ross Foundation, commented: “With their focus on increasing access to healthcare in rural communities, Lincoln Medical School is doing vital work, training the doctors of tomorrow to serve Greater Lincolnshire and beyond.  My Foundation is delighted to be supporting this work.”

Rob Lucas commented: “Sara and I benefitted from all Lincoln has to offer during our childhoods and it is a privilege for me to be able to give back to the community in which our parents still live by supporting such a vital project.”

Prof Neal Juster, Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln, added: “”The University’s new £21million medical school building is training future generations of doctors for our region’s hospitals.

“The University and the region are incredibly grateful to David Ross and Rob Lucas for their generous donation, and we are delighted to be naming the medical school building in their honour. We are committed as an organisation to continue as a force for good for Lincolnshire and beyond, and the new medical school is a very significant addition to this ambition.

“We are responding to local needs, like skills shortages in our NHS, and working hand-in-hand in genuine partnerships with employers and our communities to make positive impact on people’s lives.”

Prof Danny McLaughlin, Dean of Medicine at Lincoln Medical School, also added: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for our first cohort of Lincoln Medical School students who are on the cusp of starting the clinical phase of their degrees and are due to start work as doctors in 2024.

“We are all absolutely delighted with our new home at the University of Lincoln’s stunning Brayford Pool Campus.  Our future generation of doctors can now benefit from purpose-built lecture theatres, laboratories, clinical skills and prosection anatomy suites equipped with cutting-edge diagnostic tools, and a dedicated biomedical and health sciences library.

“Completion of this flagship building during the pandemic has been a remarkable achievement and all those involved in the planning, design, building and vision deserve congratulation.”