Uni students give 20,500 hours to help good causes
Also collected 15,000 food and clothing items
LOUGHBOROUGH University students have volunteered 20,500 hours to helping good causes, collected 15,000 items of food and clothing for those in need, and helped train more than 1,400 people in CPR over the course of the past year.
And the hard work and achievements of Action – the community volunteering branch of Loughborough Students’ Union – were celebrated at a recent end-of-term awards event.
The evening paid tribute to the 1,600 students that have taken on volunteering roles over the past year (2017/18) and contributed to the team’s numerous successes.
From visiting John Storer House to teach elderly people IT skills, to supporting Hardwick House School with the maintenance of their outdoor area all the way to walking homeless dogs at College Garth Kennels; students have gone above and beyond to help a variety of organisations based in the local community.
As well as undertaking volunteering projects, the Action team has hosted an array of special events such as children’s art days, tea dances and ‘Flick Down Memory Lane’ – an old style cinema for Loughborough residents.
The awards evening also celebrated last winter’s Food Drive, which saw students collect a record-breaking 15,000 items of food and clothing for those in challenging situations.
Students were also commended for the well-attended Community Fun Day and for Student Volunteer Week, which saw more than 400 students engage in over 40 projects.
The 300 volunteers that contributed to the success of Heart 2 Heart – an all-day event on campus that saw 1,400 people trained in CPR – were also celebrated on the night.
Commenting on the past year’s successes, Action chair Anna Milewska said: “Our students have gone above and beyond in their efforts to help the community, and it was great to recognise and celebrate all of their hard work and passion at the awards evening.
“It is the most amazing way to finish our year, and I hope that all those who attended will remember it for a long time even after graduating!”