Bath Nightline is celebrating after winning two awards at the Nightline Association Awards!
The first Nightline was opened in 1970 and is now a unique service which offers emotional support and information to students across the country. The service is one of a kind; it is run by student volunteers and ensures every student has a listening ear at any time that they need it, in a safe and non-judgemental environment.
Over the past 52 years, Nightline has gone from strength to strength and is now a national movement, championing student mental health in over 30 Universities and supporting over 1.5 million university students.
Last week, Bath Nightline representatives had the pleasure of attending the Nightline National Conference, where they received valuable training in the latest guidance about best practice and up to date training packages to help volunteers take calls on topics such as suicide or LGBTQ+ issues. A tradition of the annual conference is also to host awards which celebrate and recognise the wonderful accomplishments from different Nightline’s across the country.
Each branch of Nightline will nominate themselves for an award, then the Nightline Association will shortlist three in the country and select a winner. We were absolutely thrilled when Bath Nightline was not only awarded ‘Most Supportive Union’ but also won the award for ‘Best Volunteer Training’. Representatives from Bath Nightline commented, ‘we are so incredibly proud of this as we have worked hard over the past year to refine our training process and support volunteers in feeling comfortable and confident in taking challenging contacts’. The training process consists of three tiers (listening, experienced and debriefed), and external speakers are invited to speak on more complex issues, to ensure volunteers are fully equipped.
The Nightline Coordinators also praised the Advice and Support Team within the SU, commenting ‘this award reflects all the amazing support that they have provided over the past year through offering advice and helping in challenges faced by the Nightline team.’ The SU has helped in securing a private location on campus for Bath Nightline to conduct discrete socials and have also given support in securing additional funding while also arranging networking opportunities. Bath Nightline coordinators commented, ‘we are very proud of the service we offer at Bath Nightline, and we couldn’t do it without the amazing ongoing support of Bath SU’.
In the past, Bath Nightline has also won the award for ‘Most Improved Nightline’ at the Nightline Association Awards and has frequently been shortlisted- but winning two awards at the 2023 conference has certainly made it a memorable year! Bath Nightline commented, ‘this reflects an incredibly hard-working committee last year, and we hope to continue to make positive changes to our Nightline in the years to come’.
Bath Nightline was also recognised at the annual SU Awards in April for Best Collaboration, alongside the ACS, BURBAN, DanceSoc and Salsa Society and for their cultural showcase in celebration of Black History Month.
The Nightline Association Awards have been a huge achievement for Bath Nightline and reflect the hard work of all the wonderful volunteers. A massive well done to Bath Nightline!
If you feel you would like to chat about anything (no issue is too big or too small), you can contact Bath Nightline from 8pm to 8am during term time. During holidays, Nightline can still be contacted via
email or alternatively, Samaritans are available 24/7 and can be contacted by on 116 123. If you would like to get involved and volunteer, you can visit the Volunteering page or
email for more information.