March was election month, we had 8 candidates standing to be the next SU President. We have over 22% of you who voted and you elected Uchenna Victor Moses as the next President.  This is the biggest percentage of students voting ever in an online election.  Thank you to everyone who voted and a massive thank you to all the candidates who put themselves forward and campaigned, its not easy, but we hope you enjoyed the experience and gained some new skills and confidences.

Together with the University Student Life Team we celebrated International Women’s Day.  We searched the globe for women famous in their own country, but not necessarily worldwide.  We put the biographies of these women next to their country to inform students of their achievements.  We also had a “Women Can’t….” board.  This stirred up students walking past the board and piqued their interest, which is exactly the reaction we wanted.  Once the Women’ Can’t statement was flipped over, they soon realised that women can!  Students really enjoyed all activities on International Women’s Day.

On Mental Health day, we did a supermarket against home brands taste test.  Students, along with the majority of people in the UK, are impacted with the cost of living crisis, and it affects their mental health.  We wanted students to know that switching to home brands really makes a difference to their pocket, but not necessarily to the taste.  You enjoyed the event and were surprised at how good home brands tasted.  A lot of you said you would make the switch.

The BRIT Challenge saw SU staff and SU student staff come together and walk 10k around the University.  The British Inspiration Trust (BRIT) supports young adult mental health and fitness in the UK through the delivery of its annual BRIT Challenge.  We thought walking the 10K wasn’t enough, so Emma did it dressed as a dinosaur, Alys was dressed as Father Christmas and Bill dressed up as a cowboy on a blow-up horse!      

Toni held Society training in the Loft for the new societies.  It’s great to see societies holding regular events and students enjoying participating.

At the end of March, we held the first ever GIAG Big GIG.  We had lots of activities on offer in the Chancellor’s Mall.  Students enjoyed trying card games and tricks, clay sculpting, drawing techniques, guitar basics, Origami, Rubik cube and much more!

We held our Annual Easter Egg hunt and had some huge Easter Eggs as prizes.  We had Easter games and, obviously, an Egg and Spoon Race.