What is the Union? What do we do?
Whether you're new to Surrey or just need a reminder, read about our achievements from last year to get a sense of what we do for you!
Matt Aikin
Thursday 28 August
We’ve just published our 2024 - 25 Annual Report, covering a whole year of Union activity representing students across aspects of your lives at Surrey.
This report isn’t just a record of what’s been achieved, it’s a celebration of the progress we’ve made on student priorities, from cost-of-living support and employability to wellbeing and representation.
If you’re joining Surrey as a new student, or just want a reminder about the work your Union does for you, here are just some of our highlights from last year to give you a taste of what’s to come.
2024-25 Union Achievements
Central:
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Represented students at a national level, by engaging with our local Member of Parliament, Zöe Franklin, presenting on behalf of Surrey students at conferences and forums, and responding to national and local Government consultations on issues like the Renters Rights Bill.
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Re-designed our Union website and systems, streamlining processes like Club and Society elections, hiring Union transport, and creating a easier and more attractive user experience for students
Voice:
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Launched ‘Rep of the Month’ to recognise Course Rep achievements and expanded the Student Equality Network, introducing three new sub-networks to cover Disability and Neurodiversity, Race Equality, and International students
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Received a record number of over 1,600 Speak Week suggestions, directly influencing Union and University decisions and saw the highest number of votes cast in Union elections in years
Community:
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Transformed underused spaces like the Front Room and revamped events at Union venues, with Freshers’ Week and Rubix reaching record engagement
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Brought the Lake Bar back and grew the Community Hub’s sustainable, low-cost offering for students
Activity:
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Introduced 14 domestic and international trips, selling 700+ tickets, and supported more than 40 new societies
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Led Team Surrey to a 14th Varsity victory, expanded free and inclusive sports and delivered creative showcases like the Winter Fashion Show and Strictly Come Surrey
Support:
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Trained over 160 Wellbeing Champions, provided academic and housing advice to over 3,000 students and launched the revamped Peer Support service, ‘Talk Together’
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Ran two Wellbeing Weeks and the flagship Wellfair event, connecting thousands of students to support services
We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve delivered for students so far, and can’t wait to see what we all achieve together over the next year!
You can read our Annual Report in full on our website.