Thursday 10-10-2024 - 16:01

Enjoy more affordable meals on campus

Food across campus just got cheaper as your new full-time officer team finalize their plan with the University catering team.

Building on the work done by last year’s officer team, who secured £540k of additional funding from the University for several schemes to support your student experience. Part of this funding has now been put towards continuing to reduce student poverty by making food on campus more affordable.

Grab yourself a hot warming soup and roll for just 80p (with own cup) or £1 without in all the campus cafes (except Senate). Furthermore, nutritious hot meals are being served at both Hawthorns and the Balloon Bar for just £2! 🎈

Other offers include

• A Baked Potato Meal from £2.50 at the Merchant Ventures Building Cafe 🥔
• Free Curry/Chilli from the Balloon and Hiatt Bar on the first Thursday of the month 🍛

Balloon Bar on the Ground Floor is now serving hot meals for just £2 and giving away free hot meals on the first Thursday of each month!

 

👨‍🍳 Don’t fancy eating out but struggle to cook at home?

Check out some of the recipes here for inspiration - whether it’s an easy-prep lunchbox meal or something filling that’s ready after a long day.

Finally, the current officer team are keen to monitor and evaluate demand and availability as well as price and suitability. They are working with university catering to provide a range of cheap food offers on campus in line with their student poverty priority.

 

Accessible STI Testing and Free Condoms

The University of Bristol’s Student Union, in collaboration with Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), is hosting free STI testing events held at the Senate House Loft; designed to raise awareness, promote sexual health, and facilitate access to essential STI testing services to the student body.

Come and see our friendly staff from THT and the SU and be provided with information and advice about sexual health. Testing can take place on the day, and you will receive their results within 2-3 weeks. Furthermore, you have the option to take STI test kits away and can return the samples via a free post service.

You can check out their next event here, which takes place in the Bristol SU Loft at 11:00 on Friday 6th December.

Free Condoms?

If you visit one of the clinics you can sign up to the Bristol ‘C-card scheme’. This scheme allows you to access free condoms from around the city (subject to age and availability).

As part of a new scheme this year you can also now pick up free condoms, lube, and anti-spiking caps from the SU Reception desk on the 5th Floor of Senate House.

Limited amounts are available per person and there is a variety of sizes including non-latex options. Speak to our friendly SU staff at the desk for more information.

Linlu (Equality, Liberation and Access Officer) helped to hand out 800 Harm Reduction Kits to students at the North Village!

 

Swap Shop!

Last Autumn a mini swap shop was launched in Living Room located on the 4th floor of the Senate House.

By turning the cubby holes into a community larder where you can pick up free canned and non-perishable foods, it is a great way to reduce food bills. Furthermore, next to the cubby holes there is a clothing rail, with non-stained and non-damaged clothing on offer for students.

Bakhtawar Javed, International Students Officer, was happy to see the swap shop still being used; "This scheme is great in more ways than one, firstly it allows students who may need some additional support to benefit from the items on offer. Secondly, it's a sustainable initiative that encourages students to drop off unwanted items that may be in need of a new home, reducing clothing waste lowering the demand for fast fashion."

Be a part of this community by making use of these revamped spaces and donating your clothes or food items to keep the shop stocked 🧤👗👚.

Full-Time Officers, Mia Stevens, Linlu Ye, and Bakhtawar Javed

Bristol SU launch new Gender Expression Fund

Your Officers have launched a new Gender Expression Fund which will allow students who are trans, non-binary, intersex, or otherwise gender diverse to apply for up to £100 to spend on gender-affirming products or travel to appointments.

The Students’ Union Full-Time Officer team have secured funding to set up the initiative to provide trans students with support in their transition and/or their gender expression.

Successful applicants can use the money for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to, gender-affirming products and clothing, as well as funding travel for medical or counseling appointments.

Linlu Ye, Bristol SU’s Equality, Liberation and Access Officer was happy to see the scheme up and running;

"I'm really pleased that we've been able to get the new Gender Expression Fund up and running this academic year. The project was initiated by the previous ELA Officer Saranya Thambirajah, and the previous chair of Trans Network Jamie Jewkes, and has been made possible thanks to funding from the University of Bristol. We launched the fund last week and it is already proving popular with students."