IT was a day when broadcasting bosses, and eminent musicians came together in a celebration of learning, and health workers and an MP hailed a victory for commonsense.

The University of York yesterday played host to city MP Hugh Bayley, former BBC chairman Sir Christopher Bland, and eminent York musicians Alan George and Lesley Schatzberger.

At the Department of Health Sciences Mr Bayley met manager Linda Terry, Dr Fiona McInnes, head of department Mark Whyte, and student nurses, to celebrate a victory of common sense against NHS "bean counters".

Mr Bayley has successfully campaigned for the establishment of full bursaries worth £5,837 a year, without means-testing, for all post-graduate nurses - regardless of whether they are studying for a three-year, or a two-year accelerated course.

"The old bursary rules were wrong, and discouraged some of the best students from training. I'm glad the Minister understood the problem and has now granted these highly-qualified students the same bursaries as other nurses studying for a three-year diploma," he said.

Until the change in the bursary rules, graduates on the two-year accelerated course had their bursary means-tested on their parent's income, if they were less than 26 years old. One York nurse only received £270 a year. Another left because of financial hardship, and a third was planning to switch to the three-year course in order to qualify for the full bursary.

Mr Bayley intervened on their behalf, pointing out to Health Minister Norman Warner that the NHS was losing some of its best-qualified nursing staff because of penny-pinching.

The Minister acknowledged the problem and changed the rules. Now, all graduate nurses on accelerated programmes receive full bursaries. Meanwhile, York postgraduates were in illustrious company when they received their masters and doctorate degrees. Musicians Alan George and Lesley Schatzberger, musicians were also there to receive honorary degrees from the University of York.

They established Jessie's Fund, a charity with the aim of helping sick children through therapeutic use of music in children's hospices across the UK. The fund was founded in 1994 to meet the costs of the complementary treatment in America that offered hope for their daughter Jessica, who had been diagnosed with a rare and inoperable brain tumour. Jessica died before the treatment began.

Alan is a chamber music exponent, playing viola in the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, which won the very first Grammy Award for chamber music in 1977.

Lesley, now a clarinettist specialsisng in historical instrument performance, graduated from the University of York in 1974.

University Chancellor Greg Dyke presented Sir Christopher Bland with an honorary degree in the second ceremony of the day.

Sir Christopher was appointed chairman of BT in 2001, a few months before his term as BBC chairman ended. He was knighted for services to the NHS in 1993.

Updated: 09:00 Saturday, April 01, 2006