This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is ‘making mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.’ Through several BUCS Active funded projects, UK universities with help from BUCS and Sport England have put mental health and wellbeing at the heart of physical activity.
Here are five standout mental health projects since the inception of BUCS Active:
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University offered a range of outdoor activities to students. This consisted of walks across campus with guide dogs, social darts and table tennis, as well as giant gardening games to ensure students had the opportunity to socialise in green space. Back indoors, the university also held free pizza making and exercise classes.
Nottingham Trent University
Back in 2019, Nottingham Trent University launched an event called ‘Brackfest’ with funding from BUCS and Sport England. This multi-sport event for students included outdoor volleyball, table tennis, an inflatable obstacle course and animal handling.
University of Leeds
The next project comes from the University of Leeds. This project provided students with easy access to a range of active sessions that were available at multiple times each week to fit with varying student schedules. The most popular sessions proved to be Pilates and a one-to one consultation gym class.
University of East Anglia
Much like Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of East Anglia looked to their vast green space for many of their activities under the umbrella name of ‘Navigate Norfolk’. The project included bringing large groups of students together for dog walking and cycling.
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics (LSE) looked towards their indoor facilities to boost student mental health through physical activity. The project included numerous HIIT classes, delivered by one of their gym fitness officers throughout the week. The university also created a buddy scheme to bring students together and offer a social benefit to keeping active.
BUCS has secured funding from Sport England to extend BUCS Active delivery for the new academic year. We look forward to continuing our work with universities across the UK to support student mental health and wellbeing through the power of physical activity.
If you’d like to find out more about BUCS Active, please email Development Manager, Sean Harris.
Student Minds are also on hand to support university students through their online advice and information platform, Student Space. The hub has many useful resources to help with the uncertainty of student life.
