Ipswich teen Brooke Lawrance anxious over university costs

Brooke Lawrance, 18 from Ipswich, is set to go to the prestigious Durham University this weekend to study English Literature.

Brooke was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was a baby and was confined to a wheelchair until she was six.

This paper first met the Morland Road resident when she was five and watched as a legion of friends, family and complete strangers helped raise £40,000 for surgery in America for her wish to walk appeal.

The community rallied around Brooke back in 2011. (Image: Newsquest)

Brooke in 2013 (Image: Newsquest)

The AXA building was named after Brooke in 2013 (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Now Brooke, who achieved an A in her English literature A Level, is faced with a new challenge due to the costs that require her to live independently while attending university.

Due to her disability she will have to live in catered accommodation which is more than £3,000 more expensive than self-catered accommodation and amounts to more than £10,000 - a cost that cannot be covered by her student finance.

Brooke with her mum Sarah (Image: Lucy Taylor)

Brooke, who saw the Brooke Lawrance House in Ipswich named after her, said: "I'm a very social personal. I have always found it easy to make friends.

"I have worked so hard to get to this point. I started essays over and over again until they were at the standard I set myself.

"I was able to get the grades to go to Durham and I was so happy.

Brooke will be heading to Durham University (Image: Lucy Taylor)

"I'm so anxious about finances though, I've been upset most night thinking about it. I thought once I got to this point, there wouldn't be this added hardship.

"There isn't many disabled accommodation options for me, and most of them are the most expensive ones which is quite unfair on me as I have worked so hard to get to this point."

Brooke' mum, Sarah, added: "It blew me away how expensive it was.

Brooke with her mum Sarah and brother and sister (Image: Lucy Taylor)

"I was lost for words and I am scared because she is really looking forward to it, but obviously this money situation is having an impact on her mental health.

"I want her to just be able to enjoy the experience as a university student should."

On top of the accommodation, the family have already had to spend money to buy adaptations for Brooke's university room such as a shower seat.

Brooke with her mum Sarah (Image: Lucy Taylor)

Mrs Lawrance continued: "She is so clever. She wasn't able to go out and play in the playground like others so she just sat and read books and she is so clever now.

"It would be such a shame if she couldn't go to university or she had to drop out because of this."

After her university degree, Brooke said she wants to do a masters in Journalism to help her achieve her dream.

Brooke in 2014 (Image: Newsquest)

She said: "I have been exposed to a lot of media and I realised that there's not much out there about disabilities and awareness of societal ableism that I've been exposed to. It feels like an invisible topic.

"Hopefully, in journalism and I can bring more attention to that and this degree in English Literature will help me in the future to work towards that."

A fundraiser has been started to help Brooke complete her course and ease the financial strain that catered accommodation brings.

The fundraiser can be found here.

Brooke will study English Literature (Image: Lucy Taylor)

Alison Kerry, head of communications at disability equality charity Scope said: “This is another example of how much more difficult life can be for disabled people.

“We know that life costs more if you are disabled – and Scope research shows that on average it costs disabled people £1010 a month to have the same standard of living as others.

“Disabled people often have to buy, power and repair equipment that they rely on to live their lives.

“We hope that Brooke is able to complete her studies at Durham, and the university works with her to help drive down costs as much as possible.”