As the 2016 Welcome Week draws to a close, the JCR Presidents of Lonsdale, Pendle, Bowland and Furness spoke to SCAN to describe what they think of the success of the whole event.
Lonsdale
Lonsdale President, Kate Ellis, said this year’s Freshers Week was the most successful it has ever been. She concluded that this was due to the success of both the day events and the night events. Ellis explained that the day events attracted people who wouldn’t necessarily be involved in the night events and therefore the week provided something for everyone. The Big Night On was seen as the most successful event as it saw the biggest turnout. Ellis said that the most challenging aspect was getting everyone in the same place at the same time, to ensure that each event was enjoyed by all the Freshers. Nevertheless, despite the challenges, with the support of other fellow JCR members, the whole week ran smoothly.
Lonsdale highlights included the traditional House Wars, a cops and robbers themed Lonsjail and an appearance from Endor in the South West Safari, all hosted in the Lonsdale Bar, the Red Lion.
Pendle
Pendle President, Sam Cox, agreed that Freshers Week went brilliantly and said that all the hard work throughout the summer paid off. Cox states that the Pendle JCR team were fantastic and with their help, along with the help of the Student Reps, it ensured that the whole week ran smoothly. The only issue raised during the week was, according to Cox, the challenge of navigating “drunk Freshers” onto buses. Cox conspired that other colleges were stealing the Pendle buses, not an ideal situation. However, by the end of the week, the situation was under control and, overall, Cox felt the week went very well.
Highlights of the Pendle Freshers Week included a Glow Party, Masquerade and a “P for Pendle” event – where college members dressed up as something beginning with “P”.
Bowland
Bowland President, Steven Pugh, also felt that the week went well. In his opinion, this was due to the hard work of both the JCR members but most importantly the Student Reps. He feels that the reps are very important, as they are the first point of contact for the new starters. Offering advice to future Bowland Presidents, Pugh explained that he had found it is important is to delegate work, not to put so much pressure on yourself and just enjoy the week.
Bowland Freshers enjoyed events including Sunday Night’s “Full Moon Party”, block wars, where each section of Bowland dresses up to a theme, and a James Bond themed Casino Night.
Furness
Furness President, Qas Younis, also felt that the months of planning paid off and the week ran smoothly. He rated the success of the week at a “10 out of 10”, which highlights the achievement of the Furness JCR team. Younis also feels that this year’s day events were much better received than in previous years and would encourage the continuation of day events, as they are more of a ‘relaxing’ event, compared to the busy night events. Younis explained that there was some pressure to make the week as good as possible, but he was grateful to the help and support that made sure the week ran really well.
Furness JCR organised events such as Furness Fest – with live music, a Casino Night and a campus treasure hunt, which saw Freshers in their most creative “F”-themed attire.
