As the UK suffers from the current cost of living crisis, supporting our communities remains as important as ever. Our student volunteers play a key role in this support and this year’s Student Volunteering Week (13 – 19 February) highlighted the positive impact that our students can have on their local community.

Student Volunteering Week (SVW) is a national campaign and is run at the University of Manchester in partnership with the Students’ Union. The week is all about celebrating student volunteering and highlighting the benefits volunteering provides, such as improving student wellbeing, developing students’ employability and contributing positively to the wider and local community life.

This year’s Student Volunteering Week saw more events than ever before at the University, with a wide range of community partners including Ardwick Climate Action, Medlock Primary School, Fallowfield & Withington Foodbank, and brilliant student projects such as Want Not Waste, Incredible Edible and Once a Month. 

With over 600 students attending 20 events taking place across campus, as well as in Ardwick and Fallowfield, students turned out in force and demonstrated a strong desire to give back to their local communities. Students and University staff worked hard to plant hedges and bulbs, clean up a playground, write cards for children in hospital, pack boxes with sanitary products, and hand out hot drinks and information on local charities to rough sleepers around Manchester City Centre. It was fantastic to see the students’ enthusiasm for projects that make a real difference in the lives of those around them, as well as completing volunteering hours towards the Stellify Award.

The University team spotlighted volunteering on social media and thanked students for their volunteering efforts by sending 8,284 eCards. The Volunteering team also made it into the Manchester Evening News. A successful week for student volunteering!