Celebrating the student groups that go above and beyond to make your experience the best it can be, Bristol SU Group of the Month recognises the amazing things our affiliated student groups have been up to and helps to celebrate those achievements across the wider student community.
Successful groups will have done something new, innovative, or inspirational whilst representing Bristol SU and the wider student community.
April 2023
Our April Group of the Month is AeroSoc! This academic society has been very busy, running events such as:
- A trip to Toulouse
- Winning the Engineering Societies' Strava fundraiser competition, getting over 100 students involved
- Meanwhile, running industry events and a successful AGM & election
- Created and executed a Women in Aerospace Month
- AeroSoc ball
- And they achieved gold in Bristol SU Accreditation!
Amazing achievements and you should all be really proud of your efforts and the impact this will have had on the experience of your members - well done 
March 2023
Bristol SU's Group of the Month winners for March were University of Bristol Lifesaving Club!
They had a great competition in Bristol recently that highlighted the amazing team spirit this group has. They also:
- Recently ran a 'Talk to Us' campaign for member feedback
- Found time to run member socials
- Provide the opportunity to swim and do first aid - equipping their members with loads of skills
Previous Winners
February 2023
Malaysian Cultural Society won Group of the Month in February.
They hosted their amazing Lunar New Year event, as well as:
- a successful and well engaged Give it A Go! session
- organising collaborations with other societies
- being dedicated to accessibility and helping others discover culture of Malaysia
January 2023
Our January winners were A Cappella Society, for hosting their hugely successful Best of the South West contest, as well as:
- being professional, networking across the UK and collaborating with other student groups
- organising successful seasonal concerts and socialising opportunities
- engaging with and building their alumni connections
December 2022
Our December winners were Engineers Without Borders, due to their amazing Designathon: Solve the Rainforest event was a huge success. They:
- Collaborated with other SU Groups
- Planned for and run the large-scale and well attended event series
- Engaged with the important topic of the climate emergency
November 2022
Our November winner was the wonderful Archery Club for planning and running an outstanding welcome program. Over the month they:
- Hosted two sold-out Give it a Go! taster sessions
- Ran re-introduction sessions for intermediate archers
- Registered the highest number of novice members to date
- Ran a three-week preseason program
- Offered resources and advice to transgender and nonbinary archers
2021/2022 Winners
March 2022 - Galenicals (Medics)
For Campaigning. They wrote a campaign in support of LGBT+ rights and had nearly 600 members sign a letter to the Medical School. In this campaign, they raised awareness of the harms of ‘conversion therapy’, showed their support for the LGBT+ community and began conversations with the Medical School on formally signing GLADD’s charter committing to supporting the banning of ‘conversion therapy’.
February 2022 - University of Bristol Church Choir
For fundraising and community outreach work. Including community carol singing with Oakfield Residents’ Association, collaborating with Bedminster BID and St Pauls Church, training to lead ‘Singing for the Brain’ sessions by the Alzheimer’s’ Society, raising money for the Human Dignity Trust and Aid Box Community
January 2022 - Bristol Islamic Society
For fundraising. They raised £8,600 during their recent Charity Week that included bake sales on campus, sports events, games nights, sponsored runs and cycles and documentary screenings. On top of this they ran multiple islamophobia Awareness Month events, took part in an interfaith dinner, and held a large auction dinner for 120 people, partnering with local businesses and peers from UWEIsoc
November 2021 - Bristol CivSoc
For membership experience. The group had an incredible start to the year and provided an exceptional membership experience to new and returning students. They ran a successful graduate and undergraduate recruitment evening with 110 people in attendance; Expanded their CivSoc Buddies scheme to include all year groups; Held a busy families ‘World Food Day’ event; Started running coffee mornings as an informal, alcohol-free option for members; Ran tours of the Engineering Department for freshers; Reinstated Engineering Netball teams into Intramural, Added International and Postgrad networks to their offer, Changed their family names to better represent their members and be more diverse and Ran ‘Red Bull Basement’
2020/2021 Winners
- Boat Club: For fundraising and membership experience. The group raised £1500 for an adaptive single scull, to be able to offer disability rowing to students and wider community and recruited a whopping 60 novices on their Learn to Row scheme
- Chaos (Physics Society): For membership experience. The group worked hard to provide multiple membership experiences this month including hosting a successful and inclusive International Conference, Sourcing high-profile speakers for a debate on dark matter, collaborating with 5 other physics societies in the SW, implementing member feedback including new fleeces!
- East African Society: For membership experience. The East African Society (EASOC) continued to cultivate its connection with the other EASOCs across the UK and America. They took part in organising and hosting a virtual valentine social collaborating with 10 East African Societies.
- Bristol Music Society (BUMS): For showcasing their members. The group had an amazing run-up to Christmas, showcasing performances from their members every day in their BUMS Advent Calendar.
- Engineering Design Society: For their wellbeing week campaign. Thier Wellbeing Week was well thought-out, timely and of huge benefit to their membership. In a month when engaging with members was tricky for some, they pro-actively reached out, offering opportunities for engagement and wellbeing support.
- Salsa Society: For membership experience. Organising virtual collaborations with Salsa groups across the UK to help combat social isolation during covid and adapting face-to-face classes, so partners can dance whilst socially distanced with the aid of a bamboo cane!
2019/2020 Winners
- Men's Hockey Club: For campaigning for men’s mental health.
- Khaleeji Society: For membership experience
- ACS: For membership experience and fundraising
- American Football: Membership experience, diversity, and inclusion
- Lifesaving Club: Event management and membership experience
- CoppaFeel!: For providing a service to the wider student community
What do winning groups get?
- Groups are featured across Bristol SU social channels
- A digital badge to display online
- The opportunity to host an Instagram takeover on our main SU account
- A certificate stating how fab the group is
Who can nominate?
Nominations can be made by anyone who is proud of the achievements the group has made in the past month. This could be a committee member, group member, a supporter or even a partner the group collaborates with.
What are the nomination criteria?
Nominations must be for an event or activity that:
- Is run by a Bristol SU affiliated Student Group
- Has happened in the month you are nominating for
- Has made a significant impact on members or the wider community
- Aligns with Bristol SU values ( Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Wellbeing, Community, Sustainability and Fun)
Deadlines
Winners are announced on the 2nd of the month (or first Monday of the month if the 2nd falls on a weekend)
All submissions should be made before the last day of the month.
