Thank you to everyone that volunteered as part of BANES Compassion At Christmas campaign
To combat loneliness and to spread a little joy throughout the pandemic, The SU has been working with BANES 3SG and Compassionate Community to provide opportunities for students to get involved with community initiatives, and a notable example of this was Compassion At Christmas campaign, aimed at bringing some happiness into the community and supporting vulnerable adults throughout the festive period.
This campaign centred on random acts of compassion, encouraging people to do something for the benefit of others. This could be anything from a simple ‘hello’ on the street, to clearing someone’s drive and sending Christmas cards to adults that are on their own. Whatever it was, it was incredible to hear stories of our community coming together. We were so overwhelmed with the support students gave to this campaign throughout Bath, including
- Creating 50 'volunteer stars’
- Writing and sending over 300 Christmas cards to vulnerable adults
- 25 University students volunteered for a Christmas Call to vulnerable adults on Christmas Day
- 6 Volunteers helped to decorate shop fronts in Bath
- 14 Santa Dash runners raised £246 for VTeam’s community projects
- 28 picture books and £141.25 worth of toys were donated for First Steps
In total, 68 fantastic volunteers received a Volunteer Recognition Star from 3SG for their involvement in the Compassion at Christmas campaign. Speaking of the students' involvement, Miles Lloyd, 3SG coordinator said “We've been so grateful to have the University of Bath partner with the movement to support individuals across Bath and surrounding areas. The students really got behind us and we even had the Hindu society do a social media takeover for a day to recognise compassion across all cultures!”
A massive thank you to all of the staff and students that got involved in this meaningful campaign, you’ve all made such a difference to the festive period for vulnerable adults around Bath.