Wednesday 09-02-2022 - 15:41

Student Volunteering Week is something that is very close to our hearts. 
 

Volunteering isn’t all about hosting huge events or climbing mountains and shaving your head. It’s about being willing to make an effort for a cause or a place that requires a little bit more help. 
 

Volunteering can start as small as sticking your name down to be a peer mentor for your degree – having a few students who can contact you at any time – or it can be as big as hosting your own festival. 
 

At Edge Hill, there are many different ways you can volunteer that many people don’t even think about.
 

Firstly, you have all the voluntary roles at the Students’ Union, including the amazing voluntary officers and course reps. Secondly, you have all of the fantastic societies that often work in to fundraise for charities and promote vital messages.
 

Our society, Edge Hill's Uni Boob Team (or EHU UBT, as we often go by) is all about volunteering and charity. Our goal is to fundraise for Coppafeel, a breast cancer awareness charity. 

 

Coppafeel was founded in 2009 by twin sisters Kris and Maren Hallenga after Kris was diagnosed with breast cancer at only 23 years old. Their mission is to increase breast cancer awareness in young people and show people how to properly check themselves for symptoms. Everyone’s body is different, so of course, knowing your normal is so important! Coppafeel launched the Uni Boob Teams in 2010, and here at Edge Hill, we're proud to be one of them.
 

We are a relatively new UBT – we were founded in September 2021. So far, we have hosted some amazing fundraising events, including the UBT pub quiz and our charity bake sale at the start of February. Since our founding, we have raised over £900, which we are super proud of. We have many more fun upcoming events too, such as a charity walk through Ormskirk and a charity head-shave. 
 

At EHU UBT, we are a close-knit bunch which is lovely and it's great to see so many people come together to raise money for such a great charity. It's so important what we do, but of course, we have lots of fun while raising awareness and money for Coppafeel. We are humbled that so many people give up their free time to volunteer with the society, all for charity.
 

Emma France, EHSU’s Mature & Part Time Students’ Officer and UBT Social Sec, told us about her time volunteering at Edge Hill. 
 

Emma said: “I love volunteering as both Mature & Part-time Students’ Officer and Social Sec for the UBT. 
 

“Being a mature student myself, it was a daunting decision to leave my job and head back to education, especially knowing I’d be one of the older students and I carried the worry of not fitting in with me. 
“Being elected as the voice for all Mature and Part-time students, I’m able to use my passion of helping people and try to make a real difference for students, while aiming to keep things equal and fair for everyone.”

 

If you want to join in with the fundraising and awareness for Coppafeel with EHU UBT, you can sign up to the society via the SU website and find us on Instagram @ubt_ehu.
 

We also have a text code so you can get monthly reminders to check yourself. Sign up now by texting UBT EDGE to 70500.