Fundraiser tops £84k for Arday family as vigil planned

More than 80,000 pounds has been raised for the family of Jason Arday, a pioneering Cambridge professor who was found dead in south London last week. The 41-year-old academic, who made history as the University of Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, was pronounced dead after emergency services were called to a Battersea address on Friday, August 14. His death is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious by the Metropolitan Police.

Arday had stepped down from his position as Professor of Sociology of Education earlier this month following public allegations of plagiarism. He acknowledged making mistakes in his work that led to the allegations but denied being a "liar." A subsequent investigation by Liverpool John Moores University, where he completed his PhD thesis, found no evidence of intentional misconduct, concluding the issues were a matter of poor referencing.

A fundraising campaign to support his family was launched on Saturday, August 15, by Windrush campaigner Sir Patrick Vernon. The GoFundMe page quickly surpassed its initial 80,000 pound goal, raising over 65,000 within 18 hours. The target was subsequently increased to 110,000 pounds...