Five students were given a total of $125,000 in a chance to obtain higher degrees by the Nicholl Scholarships.

The scholarships, $25,000 for each student, is for the period of each winner's present course of study at a maximum of four years. It all started with Albert Nicholl.

Albert E. Nicholl, or "Nicky", as Bermudians long knew him, came to Bermuda from England during First World War in 1917 as Chief Examination Officer, Royal Navy Reserve, at St. George's. He was always interested in the education of young Bermudians and he gave much of his time and talents to education in Bermuda, particularly at Dellwood School.

During his lifetime Lieutenant Nicholl contributed generously to a wide variety of local charities. Through his donations he founded the Nicholl Institute, a manual training school enabling boys to learn a trade.

He also established scholarships at Dellwood, the Berkeley Institute and Saltus during the period when Bermudian secondary schools charged fees to enable students to obtain a secondary education whose parents were unable to pay the school fees.

He donated a new maternity wing to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and dedicated the wing to the memory of his father Sir Edward Nicholl who was a member of the House of Commons in the UK for two terms.

By his Will he gave the bulk of his estate in trust to provide scholarships to young Bermudians for education at accredited universities in the British Commonwealth and the United States of America.

The Nicholl Scholarship Trustees say that Albert E. Nicholl should be remembered as a man who, with many others, devoted his life to Bermuda and his love to its people. The Nicholl Scholarship is dedicated to him.

The Nicholl scholarships Trustees held a presentation and luncheon for five recipients of the Nicholl Scholarship for the 2009 to 2010 year.

The winners are: Catriona M Brewin who will be pursuing a BSc in Biological Sciences and Psychology at the University of Edinburgh in the UK.

Emily S. R. Ross who will be pursuing a BA at the University of Bristol in the UK.

Scott A. Booth who is pursuing an LLB at Suffolk University Law School in the U.S.

Honor B. Z. Brady who will be pursuing a BSc in Civil Engineering at the University College London in the UK.

Meliseanna K E Gibbons who will be pursuing a BSc in Psychobiology at La Sierra University in California.