A CUMBRIA based film student is fundraising to help take up his place at the prestigious Vancouver Film School in Canada.

Matthew Dalton, from Low Hesket, has been offered a place at the prestigious film school in Canada and now he is in a race to get the funds together to ensure he can take up this offer.

After gaining a first class BA Honours degree in games design at the University of Cumbria, Mati, 23, has now won a place at the Vancouver Film School starting in October this year, where he will be studying for a diploma in animation concept art which would see him get closer to his chosen career of art animation in the film industry.

Mati faces challenges to now secure all the required fees, flights and accommodation costs for this one-year course, which are estimated to be in the region of £30,000.

“I have saved £7,000 from my wages and art commissions, but I have a long, long way to go to get all the money together in time,” said Mati.

Last week Mati launched his own GoFundMe page in one of a number of fundraising bids he is working on to get the money together.

He says has been ‘totally blown away’ by the initial response to the appeal within the first six days, raising a total of £4,285 which has included two anonymous donations of £1,000 each.

“It has been absolutely amazing that people have been so brilliantly generous,” said Mati. “I have taken the time to thank each person individually who has donated.

“I am so excited by the prospects from going on this course, it is genuinely a gateway to the career I am passionate about.”

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Many former students at the school have gone on to work for major companies such as Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Brothers.

Mati’s fundraising comes at a time of ‘challenging’ circumstances for his family as his dad has a ‘life-limiting’ condition with his mother, Caroline, providing full-time care.

A friend of the family, Wade Tidbury, has been providing Mati with some support with bids to grants, trusts and other fundraising opportunities to try to secure the funding Mati needs.

“I have known Mati’s parents for many years and with Mati’s father having developed a progressive life limiting illness and his mother now caring for him, the household income is severely limited, and these circumstances mean that they are not able to support Mati as they would want,” said Wade.

Anybody wishing to contribute can find Mati’s fundraiser on the GoFundMe website.