Women's Month raises over £13,000 for Charity!

 

This March, The SU Bath hosted International Women’s Month which saw students celebrate womankind and raise vital funds for three female-orientated charities: Maddy’s Mark, Coppafeel, and Voices. Our amazing student groups really got behind this campaign organising their own events to raise money for the charities.

 

Events Included:

Alongside the events, students and staff were set three challenges to choose from to encourage them to raise money and awareness for the charities.

 

 

On Saturday, March 23, 58 students were driven in a blacked-out coach to a secret location, over 100 miles from campus. They were left stranded with the instructions to make their way back to campus before midnight without using any money, phones, and only a good old-fashioned paper road map for directions.

As part of International Women’s Month, there was a fundraising element that required each person to raise a minimum of £100 before they left Bath on the morning of March 23. Not only did everyone meet their fundraising target but, in many cases, exceeded it.

The secret location was Shipley Country Park in Nottingham, an almost three-hour drive back to campus. Prepared with signs, crazy fancy dress and their enthusiasm, the students set off from Nottingham at 09:00 with a list of challenges for extra points. Some of these challenges included dance battling a stranger, taking a picture with a hen party, conga in a supermarket and talking about the three charities on the radio, in a train announcement or over a supermarket speaker. The participants absolutely smashed the challenges, with some even getting onto local BBC news to talk about the challenge.

 

The most common modes of transport were hitch-hiking and trains, in which the students attempted to negotiate with train conductors to let them travel for free or relying on the kindness of the public to get them a ticket. Luck played a huge part in the challenge, with some students being blessed by the kindness of stranger after stranger. Each group persevered and all teams made it back to campus before midnight safely.

 

Ollie and Frank were the first team to make it back to campus and made it back by just 15:40. They received bonus points for their speedy time and smashed out most of the challenges, leaving them with a total of 1730 points which made them the overall winners. Chloe and Francesca were just 5 points behind with 1725, so it was a close one. A special mention must go to Owen and Luke who raised the most money as a pair, fundraising an astonishing £1,110!

The event raised a combined total of just over £10,000 for the three charities, highlighting the incredible effort from all the students. Thank you to all involved and to all members of the public who helped them along the way.

 

 

 

 

The other two challenges were Move for Maddy and Boob Bingo. These challenges involved traveling 104km throughout the month by running, walking, or cycling, or completing multiple small International Women’s Month fundraising challenges.

 

A special mention to the staff from SU Finance who not only exceeded their fundraising target of £150, raising an amazing £270, but they also smashed the 104km within a couple of weeks and went on to complete well over 150km!

 

 

Tara for Voices said “It has been a privilege to be part of this endeavour and to be involved with so many amazing students, all working together, having fun and raising awareness for all three charities. You must all be so pleased with the outcome. We are beyond thrilled with the amount you have raised for VOICES and the other charities. This will be utilised for group work and counselling for people recovering from Domestic Abuse that otherwise may not receive any support. Just amazing!!

A huge thank you from the whole team here at VOICES and we hope to collaborate in the future.”

 

Simon and Karen parents of Maddy from Maddy’s Mark said “The innovative, fun fundraising ideas everyone came up with have been a pleasure to follow. We are so grateful that Maddy’s Mark was chosen to benefit from all this hard work and send our huge thanks to everyone involved. Whilst in its infancy, Maddy’s Mark is still a small charity, but with remarkable support such as the SU’s, we have every faith that it will grow into a really significant force and continue to help many girls and young women.

It means everything to us to know that through Maddy’s Mark and all your efforts, future students are able to know about Maddy and all she stood for.”

 

A huge thank you from The SU to everyone involved in Women’s Month. The money raised will be split equally between Maddy’s Mark, Coppafeel, and Voices.