The first term has come to end and what a term it’s been! From beach cleaning to fixtures, fundraising and event hosting – term 1 had it all.
September saw the return of our yearly free Fresher’s Fortnight, with Love Island stars and movie nights. It was a jam-packed two weeks and really set us off with a bang for what the rest of the term had in store for us.
October saw the start of Wednesday wins for our sports teams as we kicked off BUCS Wednesday. Although, we did see some losses and games called off due to the weather, spirits were never dampened and now we've returned from the Winter break, it’s full steam ahead in preparation for our annual varsity fixture against our rivals, Roehampton University. Our societies and Sports For Fun activities have had a very successful first term, with participation numbers sky-rocketing we found ourselves having to find bigger spaces for some of our societies.
November was huge month for me as, alongside our Movember Ambassador, Ratu, I ran numerous events to raise money and awareness for Movember, which is the UK’s biggest men’s mental and physical health charity. I had so much fun working with Ratu and this charity is one that means a lot to me, so to be able to raise over £1,300 is incredible and something I'm quite proud of. However, with all this money being raised it meant that the sabbatical team had to complete some milestone challenges; Emily had to have shaving foam to the face, I had my makeup done by Ratu, Charlotte came in to work with special effects make-up on and Brandon dressed up as his drag alter-ego, Big Bertha. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who got involved and donated, this month wouldn’t have been a success without you.
December was a challenging month for myself, after lots of self-reflection on how I was doing in the role of Vice President Student Involvement, I decided to re-start the conversation of changing the structure and title of the role. After getting the go ahead from Students' Union Senior Management team, I began re-writing the role and thinking of a new title. I took the proposal to Union Council and Trustee Board and received full support for the changes. So, as you will see during the upcoming #BSUElections, the role of Vice President Student Involvement does not exist but instead, in its place, is Vice President Achievement and Belonging (VPAB). The role of VPAB takes more of a focus on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and sustainability work the Students’ Union does and the role will still work with the sports clubs and societies as well as helping to provide volunteering opportunities and employability skill sessions.
As we move into the second term, I’m looking forward to assisting with the planning of our annual AU dinner and our first away Varsity since 2019, which you can now buy tickets for. There's also some fantastic opportunities coming up for you to get involved and try something new including, RAG Week 2.0, Give it a Go Week 2.0 and Fairtrade Fortnight. So, keep an eye on the what's on page and our social media channels to see what you can get involved in.
-Jess Bradbury, Vice President Student Involvement