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.
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.
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