To help combat stress during summer exams, the Students’ Union at the University of Bath organised fun activities throughout the three week period to give students the chance to take a break.
Focused on getting active, health and wellbeing, over 1000 students attended the events which included an inflatables day, a petting zoo, zorbing, yoga sessions and film nights.
Following on from the events put on during January exams this year, it was an opportunity to make the most of the sunny weather and give students fun, convenient and free activities to attend at their leisure.
The SU Advice & Support Centre also provided free fruit giveaways to help encourage healthy eating which can often be forgotten when busy with exams.
Suzanne Snook, SU Community Coordinator said: “The exam period can be tough for a lot of students and whilst we always encourage regular breaks it can be difficult for some to actually take them”.
“We wanted to get our students out of the exam bubble and give them a moment to do something completely different purely to have some fun”.
Day one of stress relief activities began with an inflatables day where students could take their mind off exams by challenging a friend to total wipeout, throwing themselves into a giant ball pit, racing on an assault course and hopping around on a bouncy castle.
This was followed the next week by the return of the petting zoo with a host of furry friends coming to campus, providing students with a calming few hours to enjoy seeing goats, rabbits, ponies and more.
The last day of activities saw many students running wild on a zorbing track, battling it out on an inflatable gladiator duel, racing on a bungee run and taking part in yoga sessions.
As well as day-time activities, two film nights were put on to give students something to look forward to after a busy day of revision and exams. Complete with popcorn and snacks, the first saw a packed out room with the screening of the Greatest Showman followed by another busy screening of Finding Dory.
Throughout the revision and exam period The SU’s recreational sports programme, Bath Active, organised free disc golf as a fun activity to enjoy with friends whilst getting out in the fresh air.
Ben Davies, SU President said “Stress is a big factor at this time of year, it’s so important that students are able to take a break from time to time to help break up revision.
“These events have been a huge success and hundreds of students have really benefitted from taking the time out to have a bit of fun before heading back to work.”