Students raise money for local charities
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Final year students help raise £3,750 for local charities by completing the National Student Survey
Tuesday, 2 June, 2020Final year students from Bath Spa University have helped to raise an impressive £3,750 for three local charities by completing the latest National Student Survey (NSS).
Every year, the NSS is sent to all final year undergraduate students at institutions in the UK to gain feedback on their degree experiences. This year, Bath Spa made a charitable donation on behalf of each of its eligible students who completed the Survey.
Three local Bath charities were selected as beneficiaries by students and its Students' Union. They were:
- The Forever Friends Appeal, the official charity of the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust;
- Off The Record, a mental health social movement by and for young people living in Bristol and South Gloucestershire; and
- regional charity Julian House, which offers direct support to those who are socially excluded.
Funds were split equally between the three charitable organisations and each received a donation of £1,250.
The charities have expressed gratitude for the contributions at what is a particularly challenging time and a message from each can be found below.
Message from Julian House
“A big thank you to everyone at Bath Spa for raising money for Julian House, especially during this difficult time. By doing so, you're helping us support vulnerable people who are at real risk during this time.
Underlying health issues, the rigours of a street-based lifestyle and simple impediments such as no access to washing facilities, mean that they are particularly at risk during the Coronavirus. Likewise the difficulty of not being able to safely self-isolate is another major threat.
Despite this, thanks to your support and the public's, we are making good gains. Our hostel and domestic abuse refuge is still open and is still taking referrals; we've doubled our outreach sessions so that we have teams on the ground supporting rough sleepers, and we're working with partners to get as many rough sleepers as possible into safe accommodation. Since the start of April, we've supported 40 additional men and women with a history of rough sleeping into safe accommodation across Bath and North East Somerset. By raising money for Julian House you're helping us to do this and continue our life-saving work.
Message from Off the Record
“The donation from Bath Spa University of £1,250 will enable us to provide over 40 counselling sessions for young people under the age of 25. Although we are a face-to-face service, in these times of lockdown we’re continuing to provide vital counselling support to BANES's most vulnerable young people via phone or online. We’ve supported over 400 young people in the last month, and know there are many more in need of this support. One young person told us recently; “It helped me knowing I don’t have to apologise for how I feel, and that it's OK to ask for help.”
Message from The Forever Friends Appeal
The Forever Friends Appeal was established in 1999 and is the fundraising charity for the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH). The RUH provides a range of services to a catchment population of over 620,000 people in Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire. The funds that have kindly been donated from Bath Spa University following students taking part in the National Student Survey will be allocated to our General Fund. This means that the donation will be put towards the most important priority for the hospital. It will be used to fund innovative and up-to-date pieces of equipment and facilities, as well as finishing touches and ‘extras’ that go above and beyond what standard NHS funding can provide. Laura Cherry, Events and Community Coordinator said:
“This generous donation will touch the lives of so many patients and their families when they need it most, and your support means so much to everyone at the hospital, now more than ever. On behalf of everyone at The Forever Friends Appeal, thank you so much.”
The National Student Survey is the largest external student feedback mechanism in the UK. The survey runs between January and April of each academic year and is open to students in their final year of undergraduate study. The results of the NSS help inform positive changes to the student experience at Bath Spa.