Activities & Opportunities

Night Bus: November Update

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:22:01 Z

Hey all,

I’m writing this blog post to update you on how the night bus project is going so far, including any moves we’ve made and what the hold-up is!

So, what has happened so far?

At the moment, we’re waiting on finances to get the project going. The current proposal is a Monday to Saturday service from midnight to 0400, every hour on the hour. The bus would follow the 25-route going from the Norwich Train Station (for all the loft lovers) to UEA.

We’ve been proposed the following costings:

£89,856pa for a full year, or
£60,480pa for the academic year (based on 35 weeks)

So far, Norfolk County Council has agreed to fund 1/3 of the project, £20,000 or so. However, we’re not happy with the remaining £40,000 having to come from students to essentially pay for their own safe route home. So, I did two things:

A motion to UEA Students’ Union Council

Within our own democratic structures something which any Union Council rep can do is bring a motion to Union Council creating something called policy. This policy essentially can dictate the SU to take action on something. With Nathan, I brought a motion with the following resolves:

Mandate the Activities and Opportunities Officer to work on the Night Bus project.
Make the Night Bus one of the Unions priority projects over the year and allow resources from staff and officers, specifically the Welfare, Community, and Diversity Officer to be put towards this project.
Continue engaging key stakeholders, namely students, members of the public, the university and bus companies to ensure the return of a night bus service.

This will allow the SU to make the Night Bus a priority project and to spend more time and staff resources on it.

You can read the motion here.

A motion to Norwich City Council

Now, after we found out that the County Council was only going to fund a third of the project, the local Liberal Democrat party reached out offering their support to bring a motion to City Council. The motion had the following resolves:

Clearly state its support for the return of the UEA night bus.
Express its disappointment that the county council is as of yet unwilling to award the full funding this scheme needs and deserves.
Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the county council cabinet member for transport asking that the county council reconsider its prohibitively low funding offer to the UEA and FirstBus for the establishment of a year-long trial period of this service, across two consecutive academic semesters.
Ask the Leader of the Council and cabinet member for sustainable transport to work with partners, including the county council, FirstBus, UEA Students’ Union and the UEA in seeking funding arrangements for the long-term establishment of the service for such a time as the bus improvement fund remains unallocated to this project or runs out.

You can read the motion here.

What are the next steps?

So, following this, the next steps is for myself to continue working with the City Council to put pressure on the County Council to increase their funding. The most fun part of all of this is that the pot of funding the money would come from is £50 million! So, the £60,000 we are asking for is about 0.12% of that pot. Oh, and the pot is designed to specifically support things like bus services and late-night provisions. Fun amirite?

What’s the delay?

Hopefully that explains what some of the delay is - we’re essentially waiting for bureaucracy to take place. However, if we don’t think that it’s happening quick enough there are some actions we can take, for example petitions, contacting Parliament Ministers (such as the Minister for Transport) or other actions.

Either way, I promise we’re working on it, and we have made progress!

Your Activities & Opportunities Officer,

Luke

APPG Renters Reform Bill

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 13:42:30 +0100

On Wednesday 5th July, Nathan and I got the opportunity to visit Portcullis House in Westminster, for an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the proposed changes to the Renters (Reform) Bill.

The Renters (Reform) Bill provides critical changes for the renter, enshrining stronger protections on the renter.

As reported by HEPI, the bill aims to:

Apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector (PRS) with the aim of halving the number of poor-quality rental properties.

Strengthening landlords’ power to evict tenants for anti-social behaviour or failure to pay rent.
Creating a new ombudsman to provide quicker and cheaper resolutions to disputes.
Creating a digital portal so landlords can more easily understand their duties, and tenants can be better informed about the property they wish to rent.
Making it illegal for landlords to have a blanket ban on renting to tenants with children or pets, or tenants on benefits.
Ending ‘Section 21’ no-fault evictions.

Banning fixed-term tenancy agreements (FTTAs) therefore making bringing student letting on parr with the rest of the private rented sector.
Only allowing rent increases once a year.

How does this impact student tenancies?

At present, the main form of tenancy for students is an Assured Shorthold Fixed-Term Tenancy, typically of 12 months with your landlord asking would like to renew halfway through. The Renters (Reform) Bill proposes to end these Assured Shorthold Tenancies, and instead allow these to be indefinite until the renter gives two months' notice. Where controversy arises is over whether students should be exempt from this ban in fixed-term tenancies.

Of course, this is controversial due to conflicting belief from both student organisations and landlord organisations.

The National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) argues that FTT’s are ‘essential for maintaining supply’ of student houses due to the ‘specific window’ student lets are advertised and, if students could end their tenancy only two months before, or even chose to extend these then the student let market could be impacted.

The National Union of Students (NUS) however argue the opposite, stating ‘If students were exempt from parts of the Bill, they would effectively become an underclass of renters with fewer rights to exit a tenancy or have flexibility in their accommodation.’

Hopefully, you can see where the difficulty arises. Undoubtedly, this bill will be controversial right up to being passed.

Why is renters reform important?

Either way, renters reform is desperately needed. The National Audit Office reports in 13% of privately rented homes in England there is a ‘serious threat to health and safety’, costing the NHS £340m per annum. A quarter of homes are classed as ‘non-decent’.

In Norwich, the Norwich City Council reported in 2019 there were 20,170 students, 18,015 of these are full time, which accounted for 13% of Norwich’s total population. Students here are particularly clustered in the Golden Triangle, West Earlham, Bowthorpe and Eaton and often in Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs).

Of course, as students we are no strangers to the housing crisis. During my own time at university, I've experienced poor quality houses, have had friends charged eyewatering amounts of rent, seen mold destroy possessions and had a lovely neighbour (a massive wasp nest in our walls). Nathan highlighted his own experience of renting whilst a student, having lived in a converted shop front and then being trapped into his tenancy. Unfortunately, as argued by the representatives from other student organisations across the country this is a common theme. A common theme shown as rogue landlords which prey on students who are not fully armed with a knowledge of the law, unlawfully charging extra fees or unfairly taking money from the renters’ deposit when leaving.

So, what did we argue for?

In my argument, I outlined some benefits for and against the movement to rolling tenancies. I specifically drew attention to the ‘rat-race’ which students face having to sign onto houses earlier and earlier each year. Despite UEASU’s ‘Don’t Rent Yet’ campaign, students are beginning to sign tenancies as early as September for the next academic year. However, this creates the problem of students being trapped in tenancies which are unsuitable, or alternatively being trapped with housemates they have fell out with.

I therefore proposed for the government to legislate for no exit fees for those who wish to swap their place in the house with another tenant. I also stated the government needs to consider limiting how in advance landlords can sign on houses, as by the time students move into these houses, they are often not what the student originally looked at. However, I also welcomed the abolition of s21 no-fault evictions and the creation of a landlord registration portal.

advice(su) work on student housing problems

And this brings me to our own SU’s work in dealing with the housing crisis in Norwich. Between 1st October 2022 to 1st July 2023 advice(su) has advised on 220 issues for housing problems. These were for mold damage, needing to exit contracts early, tenancy checks before signing contracts and other concerns.

Our advice(su) team also runs its yearly ‘Don’t rent yet’ and ‘Ready to Rent’ campaigns, explaining that it isn’t necessary to look for accommodation during the first semester and encouraging you to wait until February 2023 for the launch of ‘Ready to Rent’. Ready to Rent is a series of workshops and events run by advice(su), aimed at helping you prepare for house hunting and make informed decisions about where you choose to live.

Finally, the SU is linked with HomeRun, an official service that is dedicated to helping UEA students find good quality & affordable private sector accommodation in Norwich. The service is owned and run by UEASU and is partnered with UEA and Marks out of Tenancy. HomeRun ensures that students are in the best position possible when looking to secure a home and offers the largest listing of student housing in the region. The HomeRun housing list currently has 800+ accredited properties, offering in excess of 2000 bed spaces throughout Norwich.

Final Remarks

Ultimately, whilst change is needed, further thought needs to be given as to the role of the student in this situation. For too long students have been given the short end of the stick in housing and reform to tighten standards of housing is welcome. However, the rights given to students for the contract type needs considerable further consideration and consultation with student groups.

On a more positive note, we got to spend the day with the University of Suffolks’ two new sabbatical officers, establishing some links and practices which we can take forward in both universities.

Thanks for reading!

Luke

Further Resources

SU Resources

For further information on what advice(su) for housing issues click here!

For further information on homerun and its houses, click here!

Information on the Renters (Reform) Bill

HEPI - Renters (Reform) Bill and the impact on higher education

GOV.UK - Guide to the Renters (Reform) Bill

BPF - Position paper on the Renters’ Reform Bill

NRLA – National Residential Landlords Association

Cost of Sport Statement and Exec Representation

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 19:47:19 Z

Following recent questions about the cost of UEA Sport Membership (previously known as ‘SAM’) I am keen to address some of the concerns plus provide an update on the work I am currently undertaking to address these.

uea(su) and UEA Sport have been working collaboratively on a project of financial transparency, specifically around the finances of Club Sport and the value this gives students. Recent conversations between students and Sports Club members have been incredibly insightful and confirmed the importance of the need for greater transparency.

I am currently working with UEA Sport on a ‘Cost of Sport Analysis’. The first part of this is a comparison with the Club Sport programmes of other universities. We have constructed a survey to evaluate their best practice and challenges in order to shape our sporting offer here at UEA and to ensure that we are providing value for money for our members. I am also looking at hardship funding options and alternative membership cost proposals throughout this research to see what more we can do to support those who find cost to be a barrier to getting involved with Club Sport. If anybody would like a copy of the survey and/or the questions that are included, please get in touch and I’ll be happy to send this across to you upon request.

I am also keen to do a comparison between the UEA Sport grant funding provided to our Sports Clubs and the overall cost of taking part in a specific sport through mapping out the “hidden” costs members often experience through the year. For example, this could include anything that you have to buy on top of your membership fee such as playing kit, additional equipment or officiating/match fees. Once we have collated feedback on these hidden costs (both recreational and competitive elements) we can compare this data to the grant funding that Sports Clubs receive. This is a complicated piece of work due to the variety of budgets and cost variables involved. However, I feel that any indication of funding differences is important to consider.

Financial transparency around the cost of Club Sport for members and students alike is an area that has needed improvement for some time. As a general principle, Treasurers and other Committee member signatories have better insight and understanding of how finances operate for their respective Sports Clubs. However, this knowledge is not always fully filtered down to their members, which results in questions about what their membership fees contribute towards. Once I have received the results from our current research, I will be working with the UEA Sport team to provide some joint communications to members on the finances of the Club Sport programme. These will detail the breakdown of what the University currently invests into the programme alongside a plan of action moving forward that incorporates the key learnings from our research.

It is not a simple case of being able to make changes overnight. Budgets are set a year in advance which restricts the ability to be flexible once they are set. It is also worth noting that the University has put pressure on departments across campus to make savings where possible, of which UEA Sport are not exempt. The team faces a challenging task in managing their budgets amidst the additional financial pressures resulting from the pandemic. They continuously work hard to support the delivery of the Club Sport programme and in looking to ensure that each Sports Club has equitable opportunities compared to other Clubs.

Our Execs are elected by you in order to represent their respective Sports Clubs. They are voluntary positions and they give their time and energy for free. They receive more information and are often involved in strategic conversations around Club Sport. As a result, they have a deeper understanding of how the Club Sport programme operates. However, with this additional knowledge and responsibility comes challenges, especially around managing expectations of what is possible whilst advocating for their Clubs. They’re fantastic at lobbying on behalf of and speaking for their Clubs. I truly couldn’t do my job without their support, especially their insight in Exec meetings and raising key issues. Exec teams have been pivotal in developing the sporting offer at UEA in recent years. I’m saddened that some of our Clubs do not feel represented at present and we need to continuously work to ensure that the existing structures that support the Club Sport programme remains relevant for our members. I welcome any suggestions, ideas or feedback that can help us to address the issues surrounding the effective representation of our Sports Clubs. We must strive to ensure that our members feel listened to and supported when they raise issues and concerns with their Execs and trust that these issues will be taken seriously. We must also think about the needs of our prospective members and how we ensure that our sporting offer is as attractive as possible.

However, any posts that single out and publicly target any one of the Exec team for open criticism is unfair, uncalled for and unkind. As a UEA club member it is of course your right to hold the Execs to account and provide challenge, however there are set processes to help support you to do this – see below. We would also ask that any members raising issues do so in a manner that is appropriate and respectful.

Alternatively, you are always welcome to raise your concerns directly with me as your Activities and Opportunities Officer. If you feel the need to make an official complaint, you can do so by following the below guidance on the Students’ Union website:

https://www.uea.su/union/complaints/

If anybody would like to discuss any of the above points further please feel free to contact me on elizabeth.payne@uea.ac.uk or to come in to the SU office above the Hive.

Movember 2021

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 15:18:13 Z

It’s November, which means its time for Movember! This year we want clubs, societies, schools, staff, friends, families and everyone else involved (bonus points if you get your pets involved too)!

So what is Movember?

Movember is an annual event during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. The goal of Movember is to raise as much money as possible to "change the face of men's health", more information can be found here https://uk.movember.com/. Last year the UEA Movember campaign raised over £36,000!

This year we are going for a target of £40,000 – so we need your help.

Although this campaign is to raise money for ‘Men’s Health’ we are keen for everyone to be involved and this is reflected in the range of events below.

How can you get involved?

Get Fundraising

Sign up to the Movember page – this is where you can physically raise money for the cause

As an Individual

Visit this link https://uk.movember.com/register?prod_intent=grow&mocamp=G to set up your

own profile on the Movember page and start raising money for the cause. You can do this in a number of ways – more details on the website above.

As a Team

Once you have created an individual account you can join a team (see left hand button in your ‘mo space’) so you can work together to raise money for Movember, for example as a club or society - this is a great way to see how much your specific team has raised for the cause.

As UEA

Once you have set up a team you can then join the overall UEA challenge and see how much we are raising as a University. It also is there to create a little bit of friendly rivalry between teams (Men’s Rugby led the way last year for clubs, and Economics for societies). To join the UEA challenge click the arrow on the top tab of your mo space and then click on challenges – then search University of East Anglia and click to join this challenge. This is really important as it enables us to boost how much we raise as a University if everyone joins the challenge and hopefully achieve the £40,000 target.

Get donating

For the 1^st of November we are putting on Movember charity donation options on the UEA+Moves App. There will be both £1 and £10 donation options for you to use. This means you can build up points for how much physical activity your record via the app (steps, miles ran, miles cycled and distance swam) and then use these points to buy a donation under the rewards section of the app. To find out more about how to download and use UEA+Moves please click this link here

Get nominating – 4km ,£4, 4 friends

In line with the successful 5,5,5 challenge, which included run 5km, donate £5 and nominate 5 friends we would also like everyone to join in our campaign along a similar theme. Out of all suicides in the UK, 3 out of 4 are Men. We would there like you to either run, cycle or walk 4km, donate £4 and nominate 4 friends. Even better, track the activity on the UEA+Moves app and build up your points so you can also donate the points to the Movember charity on the app.

Get promoting

Please use the below hash tags in all the posts you put out. Alternatively tag the Facebook group UEA Movember in posts.

#ueamo

#ueamovember

Get playing

We’re running a touch rugby (date tbc) and Rounders (28th November tbc) tournament, so keep up to date with what your club or soc can take part in!

Our annual movember quiz will take place in the LCR on the 1st December, and hopefully a big shave-off as well! More to follow!

Our quiz will have the following prizes:

Highest raising academic school
Highest raising academic (or staff member)
Highest raising soc
Highest raising club
Highest raising individual
Best Mo staff
Beset Mo student
Tournament winners
Quiz winners

Sportsnight tickets will be increased to £4.50 for the month and £1.50 of each ticket sold will go to Movember.

#ueamo

#ueamovember

financial transparency

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 15:34:20 Z

As a member of the University Finance Committee, the past few weeks I have been lobbying the university for greater financial transparency which better explains the position we have taken regarding rent rebates and tuition fees, along with giving more clarity to students about the financial position of the university. This isn’t a post to defend the university by any means, rather giving you the resources to make your opinions on the matter. The officers and I are in agreement that students deserve more, and we continue to fight for your concerns.

This ongoing pandemic continues to add more and more financial pressures on university institutions, and very limited help from the government means there is little wiggle room for showing compensation to students and recognising the hardship you have been through this year. For the accounts for 2020/21, there was due to be a controlled deficit of £3m, controlled because this is money which is being invested in developments around the university. However, then came along covid, which subsequently slammed this deficit to £18.8m (a £15.8m fall from the budgeted position). Risk mitigation instantly stepped in with pay increment freezes for staff, pay-cuts for senior managers and the executive team, and furloughing.

In the year 2019/20:

The approved deficit for 2019/20 was almost achieved (£13.8m deficit as opposed to a forecast of £13.3m), although it should be noted that the uni lost £10m in income to rents and commercial activities, which was then mitigated by:

recruitment/post freeze and furlough
focus on essential non-pay spend only from March through to the end of July.

In the year 2020/21:

Initially the forecasted deficit for 2020/21 was £22.6m, this then improved to a deficit of £12.5m which was presented to council and approved in November 2020. This change in deficit figures is down to an upside on admissions compared to a worst-case scenario forecast.

The impact of the current rent rebate offered is expected to cost the University c£5m and in addition there are further impacts forecast on commercial services of £1.3m, relating mostly to the Sportspark closure. This increases the forecast deficit to £18.8m.

Whilst several mitigations have been put in place to safeguard the University finances and resource, investments have been required in order to operate the campus in a COVID environment. As part of the budget process a COVID response budget of £4m was created. As at the end of December 2020, ~£3.4m has been committed to spending related to COVID which is around 85% of the total budget (£4m).
This COVID response budget includes things like University Safety Services, greater funding of student support services, face masks, running the Norwich Testing Initiative for COVID tests, making teaching spaces COVID secure, outdoor spaces, winter break provision, resources for IT support and helpdesk, marketing and communication, and welcome week and SU initiatives.

Just a message to clear up some other areas where some questions have been raised (and rightfully so) around developments which are still in progress despite the University's financial situation: a particular one being the continuation of Productivity East, an engineering facility. This is openly advertised as a £7.4m project, however it should be noted that this is included within the UEA’s financial plan and is 100% cash flowed by a grant of £4.5m, awarded by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership for Norfolk and Suffolk. This is government funding, and the nature of it means that there is a tight time frame for the grant money to be used otherwise the money is lost, hence why this development is still going ahead. However, you may ask where is this extra £2.9m is coming from to complete the £7.4m its supposedly costing. These are in-kind contributions. As this is a redevelopment project in the Lasdun Wall (where the old bio labs used to be), the £2.9m reflects the provision of space within the current footprint of buildings, so no financial investment is needed from the university.

semester 1 wins

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 11:55:48 Z

As the term is drawing to a close, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of the positives that has come out of a rollercoaster of a semester (yes you read that right, GOOD things). Although it may seem like a time when we're only thinking about all things COVID, we have in fact managed to make some headway in other things, despite also balancing three changes in student group regulations in the process!

We have done quite a lot of work on the website to make it easier for committee members to navigate and also improved the functionality. Firstly there was a much-needed clean up of the whole committee hub and we removed old pages that were no longer needed, updated information and added in other useful things for example an inclusivity and accessibility hub which includes specific information on things like Alcohol Awareness, accessible online content and how to reduce member anxieties when joining a student group.

You can now email members who have purchased tickets to your events and made it super easy to update your committee (which consequently makes our lives easier too!). We've introduced more ring-fenced grants this year and made the criteria for applications a bit clearer - and not to forget we finished off this term with a Winter Fund for clubs and socs to provide members with something nice over the winter break! We had some pretty wholesome applications for this, so thanks to everyone who has taken up this opportunity.

We've also had the biggest uptake in Buddy this year, both in terms of those volunteering, and new students signing up to Buddy. We secured more social spaces on campus thanks to Campus Kitchen, and as of next term reduced the number of approvals needed for finance claims (from 3 to 2).

We have some exciting things planned for next semester - January welcome week will be branded as #UEAyourWay which is a campaign aimed at promoting clubs and socs, and also all the other things run by the Opportunities team including Buddy, volunteering and Do Something Different, and recognising that if you haven't got involved with any of these yet, that its not too late. I HIGHLY recommend you do as they're full of amazing people, and a great space to be part of!

We're also launching an interclub competition called Clash of the Clubs which will reintroduce the competition aspect back into sport whilst the plans for BUCS are still being figured out. We're looking to do something similar for societies, of which the initial planning has started recently, so keep your eyes peeled for some more news there!

So all in all, despite being a little preoccupied with a pandemic, we have managed to do some of the things which have been needed for a while such as updating the website, but also planning exciting things for next semester! That said, if you have any further things that you'd like to see changed or improved, then please feel free to get in touch with me!

Have fun, and much love,

Lizzie

winter events

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:44:22 Z

As the winter holidays are approaching and it's snowing outside (quite literally at the time of writing this!), you might be wondering what we have in store for you during this winter break...and maybe a bit worried that there won't be anything to do. Well, FREEZE that thought, there's loads for you to do, especially if you're staying on campus or in Norwich!

If you're one for staying in your flat and keeping warm...

How about a relaxing yoga session or Nexflix parties or even a Christmas murder mystery with a chance of winning £50? Or have you always wanted to try swing dancing (I know I have)? Then why not Prance(r) around your bedroom and learn - there are three classes all suitable for total beginners taking place over the holiday period, so just grab a partner from your bubble and have a go!

Societies are also running online events for everyone to join in with! Enactus is hosting a games night and UEA WISE are running a virtual quiz.

If you want to get outside and see more of Norwich, remember to wrap up warm because...

On the 15th, slide into the Hive and pick up a mini Christmas tree for free, and whilst you're there tune in to some films screening in unio during the day! There are also loads of Active Campus events going on - wrap up warm with a hat, scarf and gloves and join the Navigate Norfolk day trips to Marston Marsh on the 12th, Mousehold Heath on the 18th and Bowthorpe Marshes on the 28th (you might even get the chance to see a horse or two, closest thing to Rudolph, right?), or another pawsible option unleashed is Dog Walking on the 16th, 21st and 23rd.

Fancy some sport?...

Drop-in sessions are restarting (Ho Ho Hooray)! Take a dip in the pool or hit up some badminton as these drop-ins will be taking place throughout the holidays. Alternatively, group-exercise is also back, so why not try some pilates, indoor cycling, or some zumba (plus many others).

For a chance to meet other UEA students...

If you want to have the chance to meet other UEA students also staying at UEA over the winter break then virtual speed friending on the 17th is one for you, maybe you could meet up with some others in the call afterwards as well (in a covid-secure way, of course)!

If you're a PG or mature student...

The Scholars Bar will be open with tasty treats for both mature and PG students on the 11th and 16th, and films on the 14th. Alternatively, if you're a PG student hop on the bus (or walk or cycle) into the city centre to meet up with other PGs and see the tunnel of light with fish and chips on the 14th - what a way to brighten up your day! If you're a mature student, tune in to a coffee morning on the 10th or happy hour on the 11th.

Other services still open...

The Winter Warmth Support Hotline is available throughout the period so please get in touch if you need some support. More info is here.

I have just highlighted some of the things happening, but make sure you head over to https://ueadifferent.com/ and https://my.uea.ac.uk/divisions/admissions-recruitment-marketing/communications/covid-19-information-and-guidance/winter-warmth to find out EVERYTHING planned for you, whether you're on campus, in Norwich or anywhere else in the world.

Have fun, and much love,

Lizzie

movember roundup

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 09:28:13 Z

Every year, UEA Staff and Students raise funds for Movember. This is an annual event which raises money and awareness throughout November around Men’s health issues including cancer and mental health. Some of this funding has been granted to ground-breaking research very close to home, including the development of tests for detecting those who are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer which was led by UEA researches alongside the NNUH.

Despite the challenging circumstances we found ourselves in, the UEA community, including sports clubs, societies, staff and labs, have raised an incredible £36,000, trebling last years total, so thank you to everyone who has fundraised, moved, donated and got involved in any way you could!

We originally set a relatively ambitious target (in our eyes) of £20,000 however, this was smashed within the first 14 days of the month, just showing the importance around the campaign and the meaning behind it for so many of our community.

Coming out of Movember we have formed a Men's Mental Health group consisting of students and SU staff to help continue some of the great work that goes on throughout the month and plan for things further into the year.

Congratulations to the following awards winners:

UEA Top Fundraising Society: Economics Society
UEA Top Fundraising Sports Club: UEA Rugby Union
UEA Top Student Fundraiser: Vish Karia
UEA 2nd Top Student Fundraiser: Mikhil Dodhia
UEA Best Mo: Elliott Honeybun

Thank you to everyone who helped behind the scenes in the Movember planning group made up of sports execs Alex, Ed, Vish, Roo, Olly and Tom, Jack who helped with the publicity, UEA sport staff Joe and Claire, Alun who helped with pushing our target beyond what we thought was possible, and the Movember ambassadors Charlie and James. Thank you to everyone in this group, you've come up with really creative new challenges which can be done over a lockdown and helping to push the campaign further throughout the UEA community this year!

Last big thank you to Charlie Mascall who has built the UEA Movember campaign into what it is now, during his three years as Movember ambassador he has helped lead the way to raising a whopping £50,000, and I think we can all agree that that's some pretty big shoes to fill!

Last big shoutout to UEA sport staff member Joe skeet who has been moving for 60 minutes a day for the past 30 days for the 60 men we lose every hour to suicide. He has managed to raised over £2,500 this year!

have fun and win prizes with flativities

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 09:34:14 Z

Did you see LOADS of pumpkins in the Hive before Halloween, and if so did you find yourself wondering what it was all about? Well, seeing as the pumpkins went so fast (400 in just six hours) that we didn’t even have time to put the signage out, here's your answer:

The pumpkins were for the launch of our new Flativities programme! It started out with a completely random idea written at 2am with the name Flat Activities and some bright spark in the SU decided 'Flativities' sounded like a catchy name. The point of Flativities is to run a different activity every week that you can do with your flat, your housemates, your family or anyone else in your support bubble as a bit of fun to get you through lockdown!

Some weeks will be linked to current campaigns we’ve got going at the SU, some (like the pumpkins) will be themed with the season, and the rest will just be a bit random. Entering gets you the chance to win a cash prize as well, so what's not to love?

To see this week's activity, head over to our Flativities page.

To submit, just send a photo of your creation to @uea_su on Instagram or @ueastudentsunion on Facebook!

Have fun, and much love,

Lizzie

Nominate your STARs

Thu, 07 May 2020 16:38:36 +0100

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe.

I thought this would be a great opportunity amidst all the chaos to bring back some positivity and good things to celebrate. We have decided to run our traditional STARs (Student Transformation and Recognition Awards) online, as unfortunately we cannot do this in person.

You can nominate yourself, your society, your committee, a volunteer or simply anyone you think has excelled this year in any of the possible awards that we have. Deadline for nominations is on Monday 11^th May at midday (12pm). Our student officer panel will then judge the nominations and we will announce the winners on the 14th May 2020 on an online platform (more details available soon).

You can find all the information you need and all the available awards on this page www.uea.su/stars or you can fill in the nomination form here

STARs is a great way of recognising the people and the groups that have supported you throughout the year or that have gone above and beyond to make your (or anyone’s) university experience even more amazing! It is a way to say thank you to them and making sure they are getting the recognition they deserve.

If you have any questions or problems about nominating please feel free to contact me on a.perez@uea.ac.uk

Much love,

Ali xx