By Natalia Tsenova, BA Business Management
It is not a surprise that our Students’ Union has been ranked 1st in the country for 10 years in a row, from 2009 to 2018, by Times Higher Education. You name it, our SU will most likely have it. From Sheffield Volunteering to over 350 clubs and societies, there are close to an infinite number of opportunities to engage in university life, beyond the content of your degree, and make your experience in Sheffield more interesting and memorable.
Such an opportunity that has contributed towards a great start of my second year has been volunteering at Spiderwalk 2019. The spiderwalk is an annual 13 mile hike at night, organised by Sheffield RAG and it is one of the many fundraising events that Sheffield RAG (Raising and Giving) holds throughout the year to raise money for different charities. The aftermath of Spiderwalk 2019 is unbelievable – over £10 000 raised for four charities, which you can get more information about on the event’s Facebook page.
In the next lines, I will give you a glimpse of what it was like to participate in Spiderwalk 2019.
On the day of Spiderwalk, all of the volunteers were instructed to be at the SU a couple of hours before the event. We were given a 10-page detailed description of the track and a set of instructions on what to do in different situations. As stewards, our main responsibilities were to make sure our group followed the map and to help in case any of the participants were injured.
Once we were allocated to our groups, it was time for hiking. In the beginning, the route was quite flat, as can be expected with our starting point being the Students’ Union, followed by Eccy Road and Endcliffe Park. As we continued walking, the terrain changed quickly and soon, we were in the peaks, breathing heavily and covered in mud. However, unlike my initial expectations, I was enjoying this more than I thought I would. The whole group was having fun, we were laughing and talking all the time and it was great to have such nice people to share this experience with.
The half-point was Whirlow Hall Farm – a beautiful farm in Sheffield and one of the charities that participants in Spiderwalk raised money for. The atmosphere was amazing: live music, good food and a lot of friendly people enjoying the night. We stayed there long enough to warm ourselves and to gather energy for our return journey. This time the route was designed to take us to the SU through Sheffield’s streets. And to be honest, a 6.5-mile walk on Sheffield’s roads is as equally tiring as a 6.5-mile hike in Sheffield’s peaks. Both are hilly, very hilly at some points :).
By the time our group reached the SU, it was already thirty minutes past midnight. I remember going home with my legs hurting, but my soul cheering. It was one of the best nights I have had since the beginning of this academic year and I could not have been happier to have decided to volunteer in the first place.
Thankfully, events like this happen very often in our Students’ Union. Explore the different opportunities the SU offers and enrich your student experience. You will not regret it and who knows, I might see you at Spiderwalk 2020.
