Accessibility Tools
Sign in
Click to Search Click to Search

Mega Menu

Bristol University Neurodiversity Society (BUNS)

  • Buns logo 20240614 103508 0000

Description

Join This Group

Required for styling to apply to all page elements

Welcome to Bristol University Neurodiversity Society (BUNS).

BUNS is run for, and by, any student who identifies as being Neurodivergent. We welcome everyone from those who have a formal diagnosis, are in the process of getting a diagnosis, are self-diagnosed or if you're wondering whether you might be Neurodivergent; we don't ask for your diagnosis status.

 

Neurodiversity can include (but is not limited to):

  • Autism/ASC/ASD

  • ADHD/ADD 

  • Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and other Specific Learning Differences

  • Dyspraxia (DCD)

  • General Anxiety/Social Anxiety 

  • OCD

  • Tourette's Syndrome (TS)/Tics 

 

What we provide:

  • Peer support and Mutual understanding.

  • A safe space that is often not experienced by Neurodivergent individuals with their Neurotypical peers. 

  • Accessible socials that will be advertised on our social media & here. We try to be mindful of varying needs and anxieties, but if there is anything you think would be helpful please get in touch and let us know.

 

Our Aims:

  • Link with other societies to raise awareness of Neurodiversity and to help make other societies more accessible.

  • Link in with other organisations and universities to create a network for Neurodivergent students. 

  • Making Neurodiversity everyone's business through a university-wide campaign.

 

Examples of social events we run at BUNS:

  • Weekly Drop-In Activity Sessions (6-8pm on Tuesday at Senate House): Special Interest (Show & Tell) Night, Arts & Crafts, Air-Dry Clay, Pottery Decorating, Puzzles & Games Night, Buns/Biscuit/Cake Decorating, Quiz Night, Film Night, Badge Making, Plant Potting, Bingo, Wii Sports/Just Dance Night, and more! You are also welcome to come along and do your own thing, instead of participating in the specific activity of each Drop-In session. Feel free to arrive and leave whenever you want.

  • Meet-Ups: Trips to Bristol's Botanical Gardens, Mrs Potts Chocolate House, Dog Walks, Winter Market, Pubs and more!

  • Events: BUNS Winter Meal, Aquarium Trip & BUNS Ball.

  • Our Drop-Ins and Meet-Ups are "free" to attend once you have a paid BUNS membership for the Academic Year. However, our occasional special events may require members to purchase a separate ticket (such as the Ball), but we can subsidise the cost for members who wouldn't be able to attend otherwise, thanks to our "Pay-It-Forward" Membership scheme!

 

Membership (For 24/25 Academic Year):

  • Standard membership - £4

  • Pay-it-Forward membership (extra donation to subsidise costs for other members) - £7

  • If you are able to, please consider purchasing a ‘Pay-it-Forward’ membership to help us reach more members and be more accessible to all Neurodivergent students.

  • If purchasing a membership is a barrier to you joining the society please let us know as we can subsidise your membership using the ‘Pay-it-Forward’ scheme.

  • If you weren't able to attend our Give it a Go Drop-Ins and would like to try out 1 Drop-In session for free later in term to decide if you would like to become a member, please get in contact with us and we can arrange this.

  • When you become a BUNS Member you are agreeing to abide by the BUNS Community Guidelines which set out the level of behaviour expected of all BUNS members in person at our Drop-Ins/Meet-Ups/Events, when representing us (such as wearing our merchandise) and online through messages & content in our members WhatsApp group. Download the BUNS Community Guidelines

 

 

Come and join us online too:

  • Email: bristolunindsoc@outlook.com

  • Instagram @Bunsuob: Click here

  • Facebook: Click here

  • Twitter (X) @Bunsuob: Click here

  • Linktree (Lots of useful resources & links for Neurodivergent Students): Click here

  • WhatsApp: We have a WhatsApp group that members regularly use to ask questions, share advice about their experiences, vent about challenges relating to Neurodiversity, etc. Once you become a BUNS member, you will receive the link to join via our weekly anouncement emails.

  • If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us and we'd be more than happy to help, we're all super lovely and understanding.

 

Committee 2024-25:

  • Co-presidents- Charlotte O'Brien & Freya Selman 

  • Vice President- Chloe Stevens

  • Secretary- Elsie Smith 

  • Treasurer- Tycho Twohig

  • Welfare/Equality and Diversity Officer- Ethan Lloyd

  • Activities Coordinator- Ella Simmons 

  • Campaigns Rep- Jamie Jewkes

  • Outreach Officer- Emma Yeo 

  • Social Media Reps- Haydon Wansbrough & Ava Kate Brierley

  • Non-Portfolio Rep- Cecilia Hunt  

        

 

Our achievements so far...

  • A Sensory Room on the 4th Floor of Senate House
  • Name change of the Disability Network to include Neurodivergent students &/or students with mental health conditions
  • Mandatory Autism training for wellbeing staff
  • Working with SU & Resilife to make the welcome fair more accessible & inclusive
  • Emotional wellbeing & mental health deep dive with Sarah Purdy
  • Neurodiversity awareness for senior tutors
  • Careers services providing bespoke disability support
  • Partial funding for ADHD diagnosis
  • Have your say event- providing feedback to senior university staff
  • Focus group with Vice-Chancellor Evelyn Welch
  • Improving accessibility & inclusivity in university sport
  • Working with Unite Students to influence university accommodation across the entire UK- BUNS published as a collaborator
  • Quiet spaces at large events such as Welcome Fairs, Open Days, Offer Holder days, etc
  • Stall at Open days & Offer Holder days as a support service
  • Buddy scheme
  • Successful 'Pay-it-forward' membership scheme so all members can take part in activities, without costs being a barrier
  • Part of the interview panel for the Head of Disability Services
  • Working with Bristol Grammar School to give advice to Neurodivergent Sixth Formers before starting Uni
  • Hosted our 1st BUNS Ball to end the 23-24 Academic Year
  • Created resources for Neurodivergent students such as BUNS Recommends & Tips for Uni, and Fidget Toy Recommendations
  • Linked in with other societies
  • And so much more...

 

Photos:

 

Our announcements & upcoming activities will automatically show up on the embedded Instagram widget below:

2024 TB1 Drop-Ins Provisional Timetable:

  • It is possible that the order of activities shown above may change due to unforeseen circumstances or if different exciting opportunities for Drop-Ins arise, but this should give a rough idea of what we will be doing each week as is currently planned. Keep an eye on our social media to see event announcements every week so you know if anything has changed or if any extra “Meet-Up” activities  or Special "Events" are being organised.

 

Anonymous Feedback and Suggestions:

  • You can leave anonymous feedback & suggestions about BUNS, the SU & UoB here. All the response boxes are optional, feel free to only fill out the boxes that you would like to. You can submit more than one response, so you can always come back in the future with new ideas and feedback. If the form does not appear correctly, use this link.

Join This Group

Terms and conditions

Click here to view terms and conditions

Close

Membership Fee Inclusions

With a BUNS membership you can attend our Drop-Ins and Meet-Ups without any additional fees (besides things like entry fees or food costs at external venues for Meet-Ups such as the Zoo or Cafés). However, our occasional special events may require members to purchase a separate ticket (such as the BUNS Ball), but we can subsidise the cost for members who wouldn't be able to attend otherwise, thanks to our "Pay-It-Forward" Membership scheme! If purchasing a membership is a barrier to you joining the society, please let us know as we can also subsidise your membership using the ‘Pay-it-Forward’ scheme. Prior to signing up to BUNS get in contact with us on social media or email at bristolunindsoc@outlook.com if you have any questions or would like clarification on what your membership includes.

Service Standards

All BUNS members can expect to receive:

  • The opportunity to attend weekly Drop-Ins, regular Meet-Ups and occasional ticketed Events.
  • Access to our Members-Only WhatsApp group to receive announcements, chat with other Neurodivergent students, ask advice about being Neurodiverse at UoB, etc. The link is provided in the weekly announcements email which is sent to members during term time.
  • The opportunity to stand for a committee position or vote in BUNS elections (Bristol students only).

Community Guidelines

When joining BUNS you are agreeing to abide by the constitution, general rules, regulations and policies of University of Bristol Students’ Union and also the BUNS Community Guidelines which set out the level of behaviour expected of all BUNS members in person at our Drop-Ins/Meet-Ups/Events, when representing us (such as wearing our merchandise or helping us on an open day) and online through messages and content in our members WhatsApp group.

Download the BUNS Community Guidelines

Download the SU Members Code of Conduct

Refund Policy

Any customer who pays for a membership subscription to a Bristol SU Society has a 14 day cooling off period from the time and date of purchase during which they have the right to cancel the subscription and receive a full refund. If you do decide to cancel within the 14 days, Bristol SU will refund your payment within a further 30 days of the cancellation.  To request a refund please email: bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk


These terms shall be governed by English law and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. Nothing in these terms shall exclude liability for fraudulent misrepresentation.