Committed to empowering our members to make the most of their time as students at UWTSD, the 2021/22 academic year was particularly busy.

From running more events than we have ever before (with record-breaking sign-ups), to securing financial gains for students, growing the team, and running some of our busiest elections ever - let us take you through the highlights of the year.

Welcoming Our Members

Celebrating your arrival at UWTSD

Going to university is an amazing opportunity. And to help our members get settled and have some fun, we ran 72 events over the Welcome period (which also included our London, Birmingham, and Cardiff campuses). It was a mix of on-campus and online events, with different activities to suit a range of tastes.

• 72
  Events
• 6
  Campuses

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35 SU Crew Recruited

In August, we launched our brand new SU Crew programme and recruited 35 students to be the friendly, helpful, and tie-dye-wearing volunteers at SU events and activities. You may have seen them at Welcome Week, Wellness Week, and Give It A Go events this year - they’ve been an amazing help.

Life outside the classroom

Events just our members

Yes, you read that right: we ran 494 events across our 6 campuses to keep our members entertained, with over 3.9K sign-ups.

• 494
  Events
• 3.9K
  Sign-ups

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Clubs & Societies

• 431
  Student Sign-ups
• 51
  Clubs & Societies
• 22
  First Aiders Trained
• 37
  Members Trained

This year, 431 students joined one or more of our 51 student-led clubs or societies. We also trained 37 committee members to help manage their clubs and societies, and trained 22 student first aiders.

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Give It A Go Events

• 93
  Free Events
• 1.6K
  Student Sign-ups

We have delivered 93 free events as part of Give It A Go, with over 1.6K student sign-ups. This includes taster sessions, activities like yoga and trampolining, creative sessions like watercolour painting and pottery, and days out at Rhossili and Pembrey Country Park.  

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Student Bars Make-Over

Earlier in the year, we gave our bars - Y Llofft (Carmarthen) and Old Bar (Lampeter) - a complete revamp using student feedback and suggestions to give them a fresh new look and get the vibe just right.

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Welsh Language Activities

We want to encourage students to explore the Welsh language - this year, we did this by creating a Welsh language cook-along video. Students baked their own Welsh cakes - and we gave out 50 free ingredient packs. And we also gave away 100 free Welsh language colouring books - to help with a spot of mindfulness. 

Advice Service

• £14.8K
  Financial Gains
• 246
  Students Supported

Our Advice Service helped students secure bursaries, scholarships, fee discounts, and compensation worth a total of £14,800 and helped 246 students with academic cases and enquiries in the 2021 - 2022 academic year.

London Campus Developments

• Brand New Office
• Growing Our Team

We’re delighted to announce that we have a new office on our London Campus, and in our new office is a brand new staff member - Lucy joined the team as our Student Opportunities Coordinator for London and Birmingham. It’s a brand-new role which will see Lucy working with Vanessa to bring more opportunities to our London and Birmingham students. 

Empowering Students

Our Busiest Autumn Election

• 6.4K Votes
• 558 Voters
• 69 Candidates
• 25 Elected Officers

Our 2021/22 Autumn Election was one of our busiest ever, with both a strong number of student nominees and voter turnout - with 6.4K votes from 558 students, 69 candidates, and 25 elected officers.

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3 Empowerment Sessions

We want to help empower you with the knowledge and skills you need to navigate life's challenges - that's why we worked with the charity Brook to deliver three Brook Sessions, each covering a unique topic and led by an industry professional. We talked about Sexual Health, LGBTQ+, and Drugs and Alcohol.

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Book giveaway for Black History Month

In October, we celebrated Black History Month by sharing stories, information, and ran a free book giveaway to recognise the achievements of the Black community - with over 125 books given away.

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Student Written Submission

Every six years, the University is required to undergo an institutional review - the Quality Enhancement Review (QER) – which is carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). The QAA is an independent organisation that carries out assessments on higher education  in the UK.

The Quality Enhancement Review focuses on the quality of academic provision at UWTSD, including library and learning resources, but not other aspects of student life like accommodation. To provide the QAA’s review team with an understanding of the student academic experience at UWTSD for the 2022 review, the Students’ Union produced a report, known as the Student Written Submission, which includes the analysis of six years’ worth of student feedback data.

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Let’s Listen Campaign

Vanessa Liverpool, your Group President, led Let's Listen, a campaign which explored mental health within Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minority communities at UWTSD and beyond. This campaign was spread across 5 months, each raising awareness of the unique mental health stigmas experienced within different cultures to foster understanding and make all students feel represented.

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200 Trees Planted

Led by Alina Mariutac, our INSPIRE Intern, UWTSD students rolled up their sleeves and helped make a difference in their local community by planting over 200 trees at Penllergaer Woodlands in Swansea.

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Safe Space Campaign

Anna Holland, LGBTQ+ Part-time Officer for Carmarthen Campus, ran the Space Space Campaign - an ambitious campaign with a simple aim - to create and signify safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students.

Anna worked with the Student Voice team to create and distribute “LGBTQ+ Safe Space” and “Proud Ally” stickers around Carmarthen campus. These stickers were a colourful reminder that the campus is inclusive and that various places/people on the campus are there to offer support and signpost students to the right place if they ever feel worried or unsafe on campus because they are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

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Step Forward Together

Becky Bush, your Carmarthen Campus President, ran the mental health-focused campaign ‘Step Forward Together’ in March. Taking place across 5 sessions over 5 days, the campaign delivered;

1. Free mental health awareness training through Look After Your Mate
2. Presentations from Time to Change Wales and a suicide prevention workshop from SafeTalk
3. Written, first-hand accounts from students living with Schizophrenia and a deep dive into Bipolar Disorder
4. A duvet day in Y Llofft with lots of free snacks