Fundraising throughout the first semester and COVID-19
In what has undoubtably been a difficult time for many, Team Hallam Clubs have stepped up and done their part to support those in need. Despite several of our students balancing their studies alongside their voluntary committee roles within the COVID-19 environment, they have put hours of effort into planning and then implementing Charitable initiatives. In total across the first Semester alone, our Clubs and its members raised a staggering £27,750 providing support to 18 different charities. From Club Calendar sales and Personalised Merchandise to Shoebox appeals and Foodbank collections, clubs have been raising money or giving to the community in a variety of ways. Despite COVID-19 limiting participation opportunities, clubs have used these initiatives to create a feeling of community within their clubs during this difficult time. With new members continuing to join our 40 clubs across the academic year we look forward to seeing a continuation of the great work that has already been undertaken. We are immensely proud of our student led clubs and would like to pass on our sincere thank you for their efforts over the academic year so far!
Case Studies of some of the initiatives can be found below;
S2 Foodbank: (Several clubs co-ordinated by Women’s Rugby Union) 978 Food Items
Our Women’s Rugby Union Club launched a collective effort of securing food items for the S2 Foodbank. By collecting food items from other Team Hallam clubs, friends and family members they managed to donate 978 items for an amazing charitable cause in the local community of Sheffield Hallam.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK - SMA UK; (George Bates/Hallam Rowing) £2,272
George alongside Hallam Rowing Members managed to ride over 1,000 miles across 10 days totalling 72 hours in aid of raising money for SMA UK. The charity helps those affected by SMA by providing care, support, and drug treatments to improve the quality of people’s life. This is a cause close to George and his family and we wanted to highlight this truly special achievement by those involved.
Movember; (Men’s Rugby Union, Men’s American Football, SHUSnow, Men’s Hockey, Men’s Lacrosse, Rowing, Men’s Cricket) £9,504
Several of our clubs raised money for Men’s Health by growing moustaches throughout November. The initiative raises awareness of men’s health issues, the need to check themselves and encourages a healthy lifestyle, in total our clubs raised over £9,000 for the cause.
Shoebox Appeal: (Several Clubs co-ordinated by Team Hallam Sport Committee) 90+ Boxes
Over the festive period our Team Hallam Sport Committee co-ordinated the Sheffield Hallam Shoe Box appeal to give back to those who may need it over the winter months. Amazingly the support from clubs was fantastic with over 90 boxes collected to give out to the community. Thank you to everyone who got involved and to the sports committee for organising!
Crisps Packet Blankets: (Katie Pearce/Triathlon)
The Triathlon Club, led by Chair and Nursing Student Katie Pearce, collected a number of empty crisp packets and creatively put them all together to form 3 foil blankets. The blankets formed by over 500 crisps packets were created to give to Homeless individuals in Sheffield during the winter months.
Oddballs: (Men’s Hockey) £1,600
The Men’s Hockey club have worked in collaboration with Oddballs to produce club merchandise such as swimwear, hats and towels and raise money for the Oddballs Foundation. The foundation aims to increase awareness of Testicular Cancer across the UK by removing the stigma and embarrassment about it.
Remarkable Ronnie: (Men’s Rugby Union) £1,000
Hallam Men’s Rugby Union have raised £1,000 for Remarkable Ronnie, a Just Giving fundraiser dedicated to supporting an alumni member’s 4-year-old son who was diagnosed with Bilateral Cystic PVL. The donation was made from the Annual Rugby Calendar Sales to go towards the support Ronnie needs in aiding his development and helping him to achieve the best possible future.
Independent Abuse Charity: (Women’s Lacrosse) £890
The Women's Lacrosse club focused its charitable activities around improving the lives of women by donating 54 bras to Oxfam and raising £890 for local domestic abuse charity IDAS by collectively running more than 2,800km during lockdown.
Roundabout: (Netball) £215
Members of the Hallam Netball stayed up for 24 hours to raise money for a Sheffield Based Charity, Roundabout. The charity works with young in Sheffield and aims to provide shelter, support, and life skills. The girls watched movies, ran workouts, cooked, and watched the sunrise throughout the 24 hours!
Breast Cancer Support Foundation: (Women’s Cricket Club) £100
The SHU Women’s Cricket Club raised awareness of breast cancer by wearing pink clothes to training and by hosting a quiz in aid of the Breast Cancer Support Foundation, a foundation dedicated to providing support and helping breast cancer patients worldwide.