At your SU, we’ve been working hard to provide for our students during this cost-of-living crisis. And as 2022 comes to a close, we wanted to let you know about the progress we’ve made so far…

Our NEW Wellbeing Hub

First up, your SU has opened a new warm space on campus just for students! The new Student Support and Wellbeing Hub is in the Southside, and is open 8am-11pm to students. This space aims to be a home away from home for our students, featuring comfy seating and available desk space. Coming soon: kitchen facilities!

Your SU are also supporting students with food, sharing information with students about where they can get a cheap shop, top tips on when to go shopping, as well as budget friendly recipes. You can check these out on our website!

The Advice Centre has also become a food bank referral centre for those students that are in crisis and in need of food. Moving forwards, we are hoping to further reduce the stigma around accessing the foodbank through upcoming campaigns.

Our FREE hot food stalls

Throughout the academic year, the SU are putting on a series of hot food offerings to students for free – you may have spotted us giving them out on the broadwalk! This is aiming to support students with the rising cost of food and provide them with a free hot meal at breakfast or lunch. Notable highlights have included breakfast baps, festive sandwiches, and homemade curries...

These pop-ups take place by the Coffee Hut, and you can eat it on the go or head to our new Student Support and Wellbeing hub to go enjoy your meal while sitting with friends inside.

Our student bar and its DEALS

And while we’re talking about food and drink… Atmosphere Bar this year has frozen or even reduced its prices to support students using their services.

Our Coffee Hut sold regular coffees for £1 throughout November, and hot chocolates for a quid in December to make those winter mornings that bit warmer!

Our OTHER new hub

As well as new Student Support and Wellbeing hub, the SU have also transformed the unused commuter hub into a new International Student Hub. This has facilities available to heat food as well as make hot drinks, creating a new socialisation space for our international students.

And speaking of socialising…

Our cheap and varied SOCIALS

The SU provide lots of cost-effective ways for students to socialise, as we know this is a hard area for a student to cut back on when money gets tight!

Through Rafiki, Give it a Go, and Officer events, we have run film nights, arts and crafts sessions, and speed friending events, to name a few! We’ll have plenty more events in 2023, so keep your eyes peeled.

Our Give it a Go programme allows students to try out different sports without the commitment of joining a team or paying a fee, which can be a great way for you to get involved in free exercises and socialise during the cost-of-living crisis.

But for those students that do want to join clubs and societies, the inspire fund is available to purchase memberships. This can allow our students to engage in extracurricular activities, without it impacting your budgets.

Our AMAZING officers

Finally, our officer team are also all working towards helping students during the cost-of-living crisis. Salford Officers are now part of the Greater Manchester Student Assembly working in collaboration with other officers across Manchester to lobby for things such as more inclusive transport costs for students.

Our community and wellbeing officer is also working on providing free menstrual products across campus for those students that find themselves in period poverty, allowing them to still access their education without financial implications. They are also looking at the possibility of creating a ‘help yourself shelf’ where students can donate items they no longer need, and swap them for items they do, so we can’t wait to update you on this!