Student volunteers thanked for helping worthy causes

Volunteers-list 
10 Jun 2013 13:28:14.057

PA 187/13

To mark Volunteering Week 2013, almost 4,000 students at The University of Nottingham have been thanked for the time and effort they have given to worthy causes this year.

 

In total 3,780 students have worked with local community groups, charities and national organisations through the University’s Student Volunteer Centre (SVC) during the current academic year.

 

The students are among the 20 million people who are estimated to volunteer in their communities each year, and have been the focus of Volunteering Week, which has been held across the UK from 1-7 June.

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A history of volunteering

 

Issuing her thanks for the hundreds of hours given, SVC Volunteer Co-ordinator Alice Hallows, said: “The SVC supports over 100 local and national organisations in Nottingham and this year 2,433 volunteers have taken part in long term volunteering projects. There have also been 121 one-off volunteering events in the local community, which students have contributed to.

 

“From staying up until 2am to take calls for Childline and befriending local elderly people with dementia, to helping feed patients at the QMC and litter picking at Highfields, Dunkirk Canal and Lenton Boulevard, our students have contributed to a huge range of local and national projects again this year.” 

 

Student contributions continue to grow, but volunteering at the University is nothing new. The Students’ Union run SVC has been organising volunteering projects since 1966, while student fundraising organisation Karnival holds the record for the most money raised by a student group in a single year, after collecting £1.6million for a variety of charities during 2012.

 

A huge thank you

 

The students’ contribution has also been welcomed by those who they have helped. After 30 students coached 300 local primary school children to play Tag Rugby, they received thanks from teachers and pupils.

 

Adrian Pulk, Teacher at Robert Shaw Primary School, said: “The coaches have been excellent! They were very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and had a great relationship with the children.” While 10 year old Dalia from Dunkirk Primary added: “I’ve had the best day ever!”

 

The University of Nottingham volunteers were also praised for their work in organising Chinese New Year celebrations at Carlton Digby School.

 

Teacher Audrey Nicholson explained:  “The students were lovely and very keen to engage with our students of all abilities. If they (or any of your students from other areas of the world) would like to spend more time with our students, we would welcome the opportunity to involve them in our lessons and international activities.”

 

If you would like to find out more about volunteering at The University of Nottingham, or would like the Student Volunteer Centre to help with your project, please visit: http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/activities/volunteering/ 

 

Ends

 

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK’s Top 10 and the World’s Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.

 

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.

 

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…

 

Story credits

More information is available from Alice Hallows, Volunteer Co-ordinator at the Student Volunteer Centre at

alice.hallows@nottingham.ac.uk

Harry Waddle

Harry Waddle - Students Communications Officer

Email: harry.waddle@nottingham.ac.uk Phone: +44 (0)115 823 2353 Location: University Park

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