• Question: What would you do with 1 million pounds?

    Asked by anon-329046 on 15 Jun 2022.
    • Photo: Rachel Harris

      Rachel Harris answered on 15 Jun 2022:

      Pay off my student loans first!

      And then I think I would like to use the money to set up a biorepository of patient samples. We have some of these already but they’re quite hard to access and expensive to use. I’d really like a situation where it’s the norm to take tissue from patients whenever they have something removed during surgery, and for scientists to be able to request for the tissue to be stored however they want since this is often something that makes it tricky to use the tissue from these repositories. This would mean we could stop using ‘models’ to study cancer – which allow us freedom in the experiments we want to do but are often limited in that they aren’t human :/

    • Photo: Karin Purshouse

      Karin Purshouse answered on 15 Jun 2022:

      So Edinburgh is a very hilly city, so during the last couple of years what with COVID going on, my partner and I did a lot of walking in the hills in the city. We used to come up with random topics for debate (we were both working a lot in the hospital so we needed to find very non-COVID chat in our non-work time!) – and this was one of them!
      After a series of less exciting answers around ensuring we and our close family were financially OK (paying of debts and mortgages etc), we realised this was actually a really hard question to answer, because if you give it to family/friends as a gift, that might create some weird friendship dynamics and pressures for the future!
      So my end answer was: sort out my own debts/family finances, and use the rest to create some sort of fund/grant for students studying science or medicine, and that I’d try to set it up as a sustainable fund so it could keep going for a long time. I know that’s not a super glamorous or exciting answer, but I think it’s the thing that would make me happiest!

    • Photo: Holly Hall

      Holly Hall answered on 15 Jun 2022:

      My answer will not be as altruistic!

      I’d pay off the mortgage on mine and my moms flats – buy one for my eldest little brother too.

      I also have another three siblings, one of which is looking at english uni’s but she counts as an international student so I’d like to stash enough money to pay for that and if the others wanted it too.

      If there’s any money after making sure some of my family is mortgage free i’d be amazed!

    • Photo: Tammy Piper

      Tammy Piper answered on 15 Jun 2022:

      Pay the big bills off, save some for travelling with my family and then do something philanthropic like fund some small but mighty charity or initiaitive.

    • Photo: Sophie Richardson

      Sophie Richardson answered on 16 Jun 2022:

      Tricky question here! I’d probably buy a house with some of the money, go on a nice holiday with my family as well and make sure my parents’ mortgage was paid off. Then I’d save some of the remaining money, maybe invest some of it for the future, and then donate some to charities like Cancer Research UK and smaller research charities too.

    • Photo: Maria Peiris Pages

      Maria Peiris Pages answered on 16 Jun 2022:

      I am an extremely lucky person who doesn’t have financial problems. My parents and close family don’t have financial problems either or have debts so even if I’d like to think that one day I’d want to have a house of my own, I am currently not paying any rent as my husband could afford to pay for a house. So, I think I would give the money to some sort of charity or fund. I would like to help all girls in the world to get education wherever they are! I have always thought I’d like to contribute to that cause so that would be one option! I’d also like to dedicate money to help minimise climate change. Do you know about this two very inspiring young girls, Malala Yousafzai and GretaThunberg?

    • Photo: Chelsea Gerada

      Chelsea Gerada answered on 16 Jun 2022:

      Nothing too exciting I would pay off my student loan and put a deposit down on a house. Might also treat myself to a holiday to Australia to visit family. I would also buy myself a mainecoon cat because I have always wanted one.

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