You control your webpage through your Dashboard which can be found by logging into the Bristol SU website and hovering over your name at the top of the screen.

You can search for your webpage by using the 'search' function on the Bristol SU Website

You should ensure your page has the following: 

• A description of your group and its activities 
• Contact details for current committee
• A logo 
• Details of membership options and how much they cost
• Links to any other websites you have
• Details of your social media
• Photos or videos (not essential but makes the page look nice)

You might also consider:

• Embedding social media feeds
• Including an access or equality statement
• Including links to your constitution or strategic plan
• A way for members to provide feedback
• Any awards you have won

• Browse other groups webpages and take note of things you particularly like or think you could use
• Get creative with it. See your webpage as your 'shop window' and think about how best to celebrate and promote your group
• Ask for input. Ask other committee members, or your membership to feedback on your webpage and what they think could be improved
• DO NOT change your group name from the Dashboard. This changes your group URL and means links to your group end up broken. If you wish to change your name, please email bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk

For a full guide on how to manage your group page and memberships, head to the Learning Space

You can choose to have just one level of membership for your group, or you can have multiple memberships that cost different amounts.

Take into account what members get from different levels of membership. For example, 'performance' level memberships may cost more money than 'beginner' levels as they have access to more resources. Or you may choose to have half-year memberships to capture students at the start of Term 2.

It's worth noting that we do not permit multi-year memberships. The longest any of your memberships should last is one year.

Your memberships should run in line with the academic year. Most groups set them to run from 1 September - 31 August.

Associate membership to Bristol SU is available to those who are not a registered student. Predominantly this will be:

• Union & University staff members
• University alumni
• Volunteer coaches and instructors
• Partners or dependents of registered students
• Students studying at other institutions
• Neighbours of the Union
• Community users of the Union facilities

An Annual Associate Membership can be purchased here and entitles the member to:

• Access to Bristol SU Student Groups*1
• Make use of the Unions facilities and services*2
• Access to events*3

*1 except where the student group already has 1/4 membership of non full-time members or if that student group does not accept associate members.

*2 except advice & representation services

*3 except where those events are specifically members only. Certain restrictions will apply to NUS cardholders only.

You do not have to accept associate members. We would advise promoting your position on this clearly on your webpage.

The current price for an Associate Membership is £25. The member would then pay any student groups fees as per other members

• Create new memberships, don't overwrite old ones
• Take any old memberships for sale offline, or archive them
• All Committee members should pay the same price as regular members
• Don't forget to specify specific user groups when setting up memberships. They should be:
  • current members--associate membership group--group
  • confirmed students--union--union

We offer free space to affiliated student groups to hold their regular activities in. These are known as Regular Room Bookings. This is done through an application process over summer and groups are allocated 2 hours per week in the Richmond Building or Senate House, provided we have an appropriate space.

Once initial allocations have been made, the remaining time is allocated on a means-tested basis. Groups have historically asked us to prioritise bookings that:

• Fulfill a competitive fixture
• Fulfill performance commitments
• Are for activities being led by professional instructors
• Rely on equipment that cannot be removed from the building
• Attract a large number of students

The form for 2023/24 will be sent out to Group Leaders and Secretaries in July.

Ad-hoc (short notice) room bookings in the Richmond Building and in Senate House are also available to Bristol SU affiliated student groups, and University of Bristol students. If you would like to make an ad-hoc room booking please read through the following information carefully before getting in touch with us to book.

• First, take a look at our room bookings calendar to check if the room, date and time you require is available. You should check the room capacity to ensure it is suitable by hovering over the room name in the calendar overview.
• Ad-hoc room bookings can be made up to 14 days in advance. We're unable to book short notice rooms any further in advance than this.
• To book a room you can either call us on 0117 331 8600 or come and see us at the Student Services reception desk on the third floor of the Richmond Building. Please do not email us with your room booking request.

The music practice rooms in the Richmond Building are now available to Bristol SU affiliated student groups, and University of Bristol students. There are three spaces, two are suitable for single or duo practice, and one band room. Please note that the piano's should not be moved, and the rooms come as they are as the equipment is not being managed currently.

Bookings need to be made at least a day in advance, but can be made up to 14 days beforehand. Bookings can be up to 2 hours long, please only book for the amount of time you need and cancel online if you are unable to attend your slot as these bookings operate on a trust basis and once your booking is in place you make the room unavailable to others.

Bookings can be made using this calendar, please email bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk to request the login details.

Student groups can host events in a number of SU spaces.

The Balloon Bar is generally available for student group takeovers every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 6pm - 10:45pm during term time. Balloon Bar karaoke slots are available to book on Fridays between 8pm - 10.45pm. This space is suitable for various evening events such as quizzes, karaoke, bingo and gigs. We're also keen to book in themed takeovers for key dates in the year such as national, international, and religious holidays and key campaign months.

The Living Rooms and The Loft are quieter spaces suitable for events such as crafts, small-scale activities and film screenings.

These spaces are booked using the Bristol SU spaces booking form. For more information, please visit our Running Events and Socials page.

You can book Sport, Exercise and Health (SEH) facilities such as the Indoor Sports Centre, Swimming Pool and Coombe Dingle Sports Complex through their Facilities Page.

You can book centralised teaching spaces within the university outside of teaching hours. More information and a booking form can be found here

We want you to have the best possible experience during your activity within The Richmond Building, The Bristol SU Living Room, The Bristol SU Loft, and the Senate House 5th Floor Activity Rooms. Please be aware of the following:

• This room is used regularly by students, staff, visitors and commercial bookings. All users are requested to sign in at the Porters Reception in the ground floor foyer before entry. Many of the rooms will be booked but can also be booked on the day via Bristol SU Welcome desk or the Porters Lodge.
• If you are more than 30 minutes late for a room booking, your room may be allocated for use by another activity group.
• Room users must ensure that the room key is back at the Porters Lodge by the end of their booked activity session.
• If your room is not set up as you requested please feed back to us via the Porters at the Porter Lodge in the ground floor foyer or alternatively call the Porters on 0117 331 8506. If you alter the layout of a room, please return it to the expected layout before you leave.
• Please clear away dirt and rubbish before you leave the room. Recycling and waste bins are located in the foyer of every floor (food waste must be taken away with you).
• The technical equipment situated within rooms is listed as part of the room bookings procedure and may be used when the room is hired. Room users wishing to use their own electrical equipment are restricted to laptops, chargers and musical devices unless by permission of the Union Facilities and Technical Manager or the Room Bookings team. If you have any problems with technical equipment that you have hired from Bristol SU please contact Student Services via the Welcome Desk/Porters Lodge.
• Alcohol which has not been purchased on the premises may not be consumed within this building.
• It is illegal to smoke within this building or its environs. The use of e-cigarettes is not permitted.
• Room users must not play amplified music or instruments whilst windows or doors to the room are open.
• All damages will be recorded by the porters on the appropriate form. Bristol SU will be informed, and the room hirer charged for replacement or repair as appropriate.
• Bristol SU operates a ‘three strike’ system with the room use charter, abuse of which could result in your activity group being banned from activity within this room. Thank you for helping towards the management of these spaces.

Cancellations should be made at least 24 hours in advance of the event taking place.

Accessibility information can be found in our Anson Rooms Access Statement.

Room booking terms and conditions can be found here.

Any changes you wish to make to your group should be reflected in your constitution. This may include:

• A change to your group name
• Committee member additions or removal
• A change in aims
• Any change mandated by Bristol SU

Changes must be voted on by your membership at either an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) or at your Annual General Meeting (AGM) and requires a two-thirds majority of the members present. Quorum of such meetings is set at twice the Committee size plus one.

Once any changes have been agreed, you should update your constitution and submit:

• as part of reaffiliation to the Committee Hub
• to bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk if conducted outside of the reaffiliation period

Please use the below templates if you are writing a new constitution or need to update your current constitution to the current template.

• Society Constitution Template
• Sports Club Constitution Template
• Volunteer Project Constitution Template

This should be completed each year as part of reaffiliation.

Annual Risk Assessment template

This should be used for any events with activities that are not covered in your annual assessment.

One-Off Risk Assessment Template

We have a short course to walk you through the essential bits

• Essential GDPR

You should familiarise yourself with the Bristol SU Privacy Policy, which includes references to student groups

• Bristol SU Privacy Policy

In the event of any serious accident or incident which involves the Emergency Services, or which could involve media attention, please follow this procedure:

• Ensure the safety of yourself then the group.
• Call the Emergency Services if necessary and ensure before you call that you are able to explain exactly where you are. You will also need to give them your name, the number from which you are ringing and a brief summary of the incident including possible injuries and the number of injured.  Where possible treat any casualties if it is safe to do so.
• Contact University Security (see below) as soon as possible.
• Do not make any statement to the media other than “no comment”. DO NOT discuss any aspect of the incident with anyone who is not connected with the emergency services.

It is the responsibility of the trip leader and vehicle driver to ensure that all participants are aware of the actions to take in the event of an emergency.

University Security Services operate 24 hours a day 365 days a year. If the accident/incident is serious, or an emergency, it must be reported immediately to University Security on 0117 331 1223.

Inform Security of the following information:

• Your name and where you are calling from. 
• The name of the student group involved. 
• A brief description of the incident – where, what, how. 
• The name(s) and numbers of students involved in the accident/incident. 
• The name of the hospital where any casualties have been taken. 
• The name and number of any police officers in attendance. 

Students participating in University and Bristol SU activities in the UK receive basic personal accident cover, which can pay out a cash sum to an individual who has sustained injuries causing permanent disability. This includes activities arranged by affiliated clubs, societies and volunteering projects.

For sporting activities, the level of cover is greater, and it applies worldwide.

Information on these policies (including the policy documents) can be found on the University insurance – information for students webpage.

If you need to make a claim, please contact insurance-enquiries@bristol.ac.uk.

Bristol SU arranges motor insurance for any students booking transport though us. The costs of this insurance is included in the hire price your group pays. 

If you are involved in a motor incident in a vehicle hired through Bristol SU, please contact bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk. You should also notify the vehicle hire company.

• Personal accident cover for any activities not covered by the University policy. 
• Travel insurance.
• Motor insurance for journey’s not arranged via the SU vehicle hire system.
• Contents insurance for personal possessions (some students may have cover through their accommodation provider, or under a family policy arranged by their parents).

Note: sometimes insurance is a legal requirement, the rest of the time it is a personal decision, based on the level of risk an individual is happy with. 

Affiliated groups receive contents insurance cover through the University. The policy applies to any assets declared to Bristol SU through reaffiliation.

The policy has a £5000 excess, which means the insurer does not pay out on the first £5000 of any claim. The policy may not cover all technical equipment, please ask if you are unsure.

In the event of a claim, or query, please contact bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk.  

Affiliated groups have Public Liability Insurance through the University policy. The insurance protects against the financial risk of legal action being taken against your group. Note that for Public Liability insurance to be valid, your group needs to remain compliant with the law and any relevant SU and University policies. 

The University produces a Public liability Insurance cover note each academic year. This can be found and downloaded from the University liability insurance webpage.

• Contents insurance for any assets not covered by the University policy.

Options for insurers willing to provide cover to student groups is limited, however we will do our best to help you obtain a quote. Endsleigh is our recommended provider for contents insurance. If you would like us to ask them for a quote on your behalf, please contact bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk.

Note: in some cases insurance is a requirement (e.g. for participation events, or to affiliate to a governing body), the rest of the time it is decision based on the level of risk a group is happy with. 

If your student group is going abroad, please ensure your members are aware that Bristol SU does not provide travel insurance. They will need to arrange this themselves. 

If travelling within the EU (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), you can get free or reduced-cost emergency treatment with a Global Health Insurance Card.

However, this will not cover the cost of getting you home after an accident, or insure your possessions, so you and your members will still need to take out travel insurance. 

The Development Team can support you with a wide variety of things including (but not limited to):

• Committee Conflict
• Constitutions
• Building Communities
• Committee meetings, AGMs and elections

Book a meeting with the Development Team or email us - bristolsu-development@bristol.ac.uk

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