From RAG to Riches! Thank You!
Today now marks the official end of Winchester Student Union’s R.A.G Week 2017. The events throughout the week raised a collective £2,318.80 and counting for charity. And this article is our way of saying thank you. Thank you to the all the teams and societies. Thank you to the donators and listeners. Thank you to the organisers and volunteers. This week could not have been possible, and such a success without you.
The week started on Saturday 4th February at 10am with three teams setting off in the relaunch of Winchester’s Jailbreak. The teams were given the task of getting as far away as possible, and back, from the Student Union within 24 hours… and surprisingly to some they all made in back in time and in one piece. Winchester Marrow spent much of their time in the South and the midlands travelling to Milton Keynes before making to Birmingham and then heading home; whilst the Women’s Rugby team of Cole Walton & Rhiannon Davis and the Polo team of Beckii Bradley, Emma Hands & Sophie Pope managed to team up and make it all the way to Newcastle and back with just a few minutes to spare. Collectively the teams raised £720 from Stonewall, Mind & Anthony Nolan.
Also starting on the Saturday at 10am was Sound Radio’s annual charity event, ‘Sound Radio goes 24/7 for Charity Fortnight. Presenters are given the challenge of hosting their own 24 hour show with no sleep and all in the name of charity. With the event still lasting another week it’s not too late to get involved and listen: www.winchesterstudents.co.uk/soundradio
Monday saw the start of the Winchester Spirits week of fundraising events, following an impressive trophy winning weekend. Their first event was a stylish soaking of their captain Sam Hunt, and despite almost catching hypothermia the event saw over £50.00 raised for Naomi House. Jordan Rudge took great pleasure in throwing an ice bucket over Sam’s head, and if you missed it just head over to Jordan’s twitter for a revisit (@WinchesterVPact). The Spirits also continued their fundraising efforts by performing their training in their PJs and creating a house of pennies outside the Terrace Bar.
The ‘Big RAG Quiz’ headlined our list of events on Tuesday with money being raised for both Coppafeel and Anthony Nolan. Raffle prizes were given away as well as the selling of some tasty cakes. A special thank you should go to all the amazing companies and organisations that donated prizes for the raffle including Ruby Reds, Dominos, Pizza Express, Dimt and Caracoli. The evening saw another £--- added to the total.
The Wednesday of R.A.G gave more of a focus to the R, with awareness being raised for Coppafeel and the importance of understanding breast cancer and its signs. A special Coppapoliton cocktail was on offer and teams were encouraged to go ‘Boob’ themed or simply to wear pink. Both myself, the Coppafeel team, Jordan and everyone here at Winchester Student Union were so impressed by the number of teams that jumped on board and got involved with the theme. The increased awareness could really save lives, so thank you.
Thursday saw it the turn of the Winchester Hub who held a fun themed games night in the Vault including a variety of board games and twister. The money raised by the Hub goes to support a range of social action projects, which you can get involved in. Just visit their website, www.winchesterhub.org, to find out more. And with Student Volunteering Week just a few days away it couldn’t be a better time to get involved.
We must also say a massive thank you to all the sports teams and societies that have so far raised money outside of R.A.G week including the feminism society, P.A.W and the swim team. P.A.Ws Pawhemain fundraiser and the Swimming teams Swimathon are just a few of the highlights from the year already. And if your team want to raise money or get involved it is not too late, just drop myself or Jordan an email at SU_Volunteering@winchester.ac.uk with your idea and we will do our best to make it happen.
And if you are still reading this far down it is also worth taking note that Student Volunteering Week starts on Monday 20th February. Alongside the Winchester Hub, we have a variety of volunteering opportunities available including the a ‘Stanmore Action Day’, the regular ‘Big Tidy Up’ and a chance to volunteer for Hampshire Pride. For more information visit the volunteering section of this website (www.winchesterstudents.co.uk/volunteer) or visit the Winchester Hub website (www.winchesterhub.org)
Tali Atvars,
Volunteering & Community Officer
