Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Fundraising students collect thousands for charity
The 160 students took part in 32 events over three months as part of a second year module for their BA (Hons) Events Management and BSc (Hons) Sports Events Management courses.
The students are based at Leeds Beckett’s UK Centre for Events Management (UKCEM), part of the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Each group had to raise at least £500 for their nominated charity, with events designed to appeal to new and different audiences.
In total, they raised £16,636 for 23 charities, with a further £6,000 raised through sponsorship and donations.
Bernadette Theodore, Senior Lecturer and Module Leader said: “Our students really enjoy getting stuck into organising and running their events, working with local charities.
“It's become a highlight of the academic year at second year and we love seeing their enthusiasm as they put what they've learned in the classroom into action.
“Some clients have been with us for years and new ones join us every year. We also work with venues across the city who donate their space for free and in return often reap the benefits of a full venue and a well organised event taking place.”
Events included music and acoustic nights across Leeds, Disco Bingo to raise money for St Gemma’s Hospice and Animal Blessings to raise funds and awareness of a community church
Yappy Hour cocktail-making lessons raised money for Guide Dogs, and a pop-up photo booth was used to take pictures of students doing the Otley Run fancy dress pub crawl, with proceeds to Oxfam.
Helen Whale, Senior Community Fundraiser at British Red Cross - one of the charities involved – said working with the students was one of the best parts of her job.
“Both groups I worked with put on brilliant events which were a pleasure to attend, and which raised vital funds to support the work of the Red Cross Emergency Response teams,” she said.
“Throughout the module the students have impressed me with their communication skills and professionalism.
“It’s been a refreshing and exciting project to work on and I look forward to working with UKCEM teams again in the future.”