As I moved on from Vice President Education to President, this first term has been both bittersweet and exciting. I’m grateful for the experiences that prepared me for this role and thrilled to lead with a fantastic team dedicated to supporting and empowering our students.
As I moved on from Vice President Education to President, this first term has been both bittersweet and exciting. I’m grateful for the experiences that prepared me for this role and thrilled to lead with a fantastic team dedicated to supporting and empowering our students.
This summer was a whirlwind, from welcoming our new Vice President Education to laying solid foundations for the year ahead. We’ve hit the ground running, shaping our manifesto’s and launching campaigns, events, and activities designed to make this year incredible for our student community.
Let’s Be Friends Campaign
A key focus this term has been the "Let’s Be Friends" campaign, which I’ve been co-leading with our Vice President Activities, Gabby. This initiative prioritises accessibility and inclusion, based on feedback from students last year. The campaign has seen us host tailored events like Paint a Pumpkin, Games Night, and Coffee and Cake, all aimed at helping students connect and discover new opportunities.
Our latest event, a Winter Crafternoon, was a heartwarming success. We were joined by students and their family and friends for a fun, chilled-out afternoon filled with Christmas crafts, competitive Jenga, festive music, and plenty of snacks. It was fantastic to see everyone embracing the holiday spirit and enjoying the relaxed, inclusive atmosphere.
Though initial turnout for some events has been mixed, highlights like the Crafternoon and Chesterfield’s Coffee and Cake morning have provided valuable insights into the diverse needs of our student groups. We’re continuously refining the campaign to ensure it delivers meaningful, student-led opportunities that foster connection and belonging. Over the winter period, we will review our campaign and work closely with both Union and University departments to identify the best approaches to ensure our targeted students are aware of our presence. This collaboration will also help us refine our communications to effectively reach the right demographics. Our goal is to improve engagement by ensuring these groups feel encouraged and supported to get involved in Union initiatives. We will relaunch this campaign during Re-Freshers, featuring tailored stalls designed to engage and target specific student groups effectively.
Freshers’ Fortnight and Beyond
Freshers’ Fortnight was a massive success, with Freshers' Fairs, intake days, and Union presence at student nights making a significant impact. The "Out of Office" series is back, and "Thursday Thoughts" continues to gather creative ideas from our students. Initiatives like You Said, We Did ensure our work remains relevant, student-focused, and impactful.
Gabby and I attended several of our affiliated Rammed Wednesday student nights, where we organised fun activities that allowed students to engage with us and win prizes. These nights significantly boosted our visibility and were a key part of one of the best Freshers' seasons we’ve seen in years. Being out with students in such a relaxed and social setting helped us build casual rapport, showing them who we are and encouraging them to get involved and engage with the Union. It’s all about creating connections and showing students that we’re here for them in every aspect of their university experience.
Gabby and I will continue attending Rammed Wednesday nights in the new year, working closely with Popworld and the Union officer team and wider staff to tailor our activities around important student topics. This includes collaborating with our Advice team to promote night safety, sexual health, and safe sex; partnering with external organisations to ensure students get home safely; and raising awareness about anti-spiking measures and safe drinking.
We’re also planning to work alongside our local church; St. Werburgh’s, improving the visibility of the support and community they offer to students on nights out, especially through the welcoming atmosphere they provide. I just want to say a massive thank you as they’ve already welcomed many of our students in after their nights out, offering warm drinks, toast, and someone to talk to.
There’s so much to come in the new year, all focused on creating meaningful experiences for students, by students. It’s about keeping students safe, informed, and engaged while building a supportive and vibrant community.
Union on Tour Success
Our Union on Tour initiative enhanced visibility across campuses and halls. Being physically present allowed us to connect meaningfully with students, demonstrating the importance of face-to-face engagement in fostering community and belonging. Gabby led on this initiative, with the officers and I continuing to help grow this during our re-freshers, again with the aim to reach as many students as possible when they join us.
Union Living Room
Recognising the need for consistent spaces for societies and students to gather, we’re collaborating with the university to establish a "Union Living Room." While navigating challenges around space availability, we’re committed to bringing this vision to life.
However work has slowed down, this is due to changes in space availability as we adapt to meet the evolving needs of our students. The space initially earmarked for the Union Living Room is now being used to support students at Britmill, ensuring they have a dedicated study area while larger projects surrounding the old library space are underway. We remain committed to bringing this initiative to life, discussions are ongoing about an alternative location for the Union Living Room, and we’re exploring options to ensure it fully accommodates the needs of our student community. I will provide an update in the new year to share what these revised plans will look like.
Amplifying Apprentice Voices
This term, we’ve strengthened our focus on the apprentice experience through surveys, interviews, and feedback sessions. We identified areas for improvement, such as communication and extracurricular access, and made strides with initiatives like a dedicated 6 PM 6-a-side football slot, it great to hear that we now have a full apprentice 6-a-side team who compete on a Friday. These efforts continued when we presented an Apprentice Experience seminar at the November Student Voice Committee, ensuring their voices reach decision-makers.
Gabby and I have continued to lead induction talks for a variety of apprentice cohorts and will be extending these efforts into the new year. Collaborating closely with the university has been instrumental in helping us understand how best to engage with apprentice students and tailor our offerings to align with their unique work-study commitments. To strengthen the apprentice student voice, I am exploring the introduction of a monthly apprentice rep meeting. This will bring all our reps together in a hybrid format, both in person and online, to share their experiences, celebrate positives, and address any challenges. Together, we aim to ensure their university experience is as enriching and supportive as possible.
Looking Ahead
As the term closes, I’m excited for what’s next. From Christmas-themed events to building on our campaigns and initiatives, our focus remains on creating opportunities that reflect student needs and aspirations. Thank you to everyone who has participated, shared feedback, and helped us make a difference this term—let’s keep the momentum going!