RAG (Raising & Giving) is how students, societies and clubs raise money for charity here at the Students’ Union. The money students’ raise each year is donated to two charities: one local, one national/international. Last year our student body raised over £100,000 for the two charities you chose. We are asking again for you to take part in this vote to decide which charities your RAG money is donated to.

Voting has closed for 2022. Here are the charities we voted on supporting.

Local Charities

The Royal Surrey Charity

We support fundraising across all areas of our hospitals from the Maternity & Special Care Baby Unit, Children’s services, A&E through to Dementia support, specialist services and our St Luke’s Cancer Centre and everything in between!


We are working to deliver exceptional care in a welcoming and safe environment for patients at Royal Surrey Hospital. From providing state of the art equipment and redeveloping wards, to investing in staff development and funding innovative research, our patients are at the heart of everything we do.
We work collaboratively with medical and support staff, we fund projects that make the biggest impact on the 260,000 people we treat each year – from babies, to children and young adults, to older people.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospital

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices supports babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families, across west London and Surrey.

We help families make every moment count by supporting them from diagnosis to end of life and throughout bereavement with a range of nursing, practical, emotional and medical care. Our bespoke support is free of charge to families and includes a comprehensive range of therapies and support groups for the whole family, specialist nursing care and respite, symptom management, end-of-life care and bereavement support

GRACE

GRACE (Gynae-Oncology Research and Clinical Excellence) is a Guildford-based gynaecological cancer charity.

GRACE funds ground-breaking research to improve cancer treatment and aid recovery, as well as providing local hospitals with vital surgical equipment.  GRACE also supports women by raising awareness of the symptoms of all five gynaecological cancers as we know early diagnosis saves lives. 
Women are still being diagnosed and treated for gynaecological cancer every day. We want to be there to help those women around us – our mums, sisters, grandmothers, daughters and friends. With your support for us, we can still be there for them.

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity raises money solely to support The Royal Marsden, a world-leading cancer centre.  

We support life saving research  including funding clinical trials that give patients at the hospital, across the UK and around the world access to the latest breakthrough drugs. Offer patients world-leading treatment and care – delivering tailored and personalised treatment, which cares for the whole person, not just their illness.
Invest in state-of-the-art equipment – from the latest in robotic surgery, to improved cancer imaging to ensure more effective and efficient diagnosis and treatment. 
Fund modern patient environments – allowing the hospital to build new facilities

National Charities

Restless Development

Restless Development is a global charity that supports the collective power of young people to create a better world. More than ever the world needs young people’s power and leadership to solve its greatest challenges. Every year we train, mentor, nurture and connect thousands of young people across the globe to lead change on the issues that affect them most. It doesn’t matter what the issue is, from ending child marriage and gender-based violence to campaigning for climate justice, we support young people to achieve a better world.

Pump Aid

We are an experienced and innovative water charity. We work in Malawi in southern Africa, which is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Pump Aid’s aim to increase sustainable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in remote Malawian communities has a profound impact on health, education, and nutrition. We train and mentor entrepreneurs to repair and maintain community water pumps. We also have a WASH programme for under 5s at preschools.

Shelter

Shelter is the UK’s leading homelessness and housing emergency charity. We exist to defend the right to a safe home and fight the devastating impact the housing emergency has on people and our society. Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. We campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. 

Young Lives VS Cancer

At Young Lives vs Cancer we support children and young people under the age of 25 with cancer, and their families, helping them find the strength to face everything cancer throws at them. We work hard to ensure young people and families have everything they need to get through cancer, whether that’s financial support, someone to talk to when times are tough or somewhere to stay close to their child when they are in hospital miles away from home.

SANE

SANE is a leading UK mental health charity improving quality of life for anyone affected by mental illness.  
SANE has been committed to its three main aims:

  • Raising awareness and education to combat the stigma surrounding mental ill-health and fighting to improve mental health services.
  • Providing emotional support and specialist services through its helpline, SANEline, email and ongoing Support Services, Textcare and an Online Forum.
  • Promoting and hosting research into the causes of mental ill-health and the effectiveness of treatments and therapies.