More than £3,500 has already been raised for charity by final year undergraduates who have completed this year’s National Student Survey.
Alongside a weekly prize draw for entrants to the survey, the University has committed to supporting four charities as part of the National Student Survey campaign. For each student who enters the survey, the University will donate £1. The total amount raised will be split between the four chosen charities – MOWLL, Revitalise, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and Sahir House – when the survey closes on 30 April 2019.
The four charities were selected at the beginning of the 2018/19 academic year as Liverpool Guild of Students’ annual charities. We recently caught up with one of the charities – Revitalise – to find out more about what they do.
Let’s start with some information about Revitalise and how it helps people:
Our mission is to enable disabled people in the UK to access essential breaks with care. We cater for every type of impairment, including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, dementia and many more.
Our holidays also give carers the opportunity to have a rest. They can choose to either accompany their loved one, or enjoy their own break elsewhere, safe in the knowledge that we will take care of everything.
Over the past 55 years, we have perfected our much-loved holiday experience including a vast and varied range of excursions, daily activities and live entertainment, coupled with expert 24-hour nurse-led care. Our fully accessible holiday centres, situated in Chigwell, Southampton and Southport, are designed with our guests’ ease and comfort in mind. They are purpose built, offering seamless accessibility with everything they need, under one roof.
We also provide inspirational opportunities for volunteers who are an integral part of the Revitalise team and help make our guests’ holidays truly memorable. Volunteers are warmly welcomed and they provide companionship and support to our guests while taking part in, and enjoying, the activities, excursions and entertainment themselves.
Why is Revitalise important?
Underpinning all we do is one simple belief; that everyone needs a break. We provide over 4,600 respite holidays each year, making us the largest provider of respite breaks to disabled people and their carers in the UK. The fact that one in eight of us are carers and 96% of our guests tell us that proper breaks away are essential to sustaining a caring relationship shows us that there are many people who could benefit from a Revitalise break and we will continue to work hard to reach as many people as we can.
Our guests tell us that what makes their time with us so special is not just the care or the chance to get out and about, but what happens between people while they are with us. Relationships come alive, and those who come to us are no longer ‘cared for’ and ‘carer’, but wife and husband, volunteer and guest, old and new friend – one human being and another. It is these relationships that make Revitalise, and the environment we create in our centres, unique.
Tell us a bit more about the volunteering opportunities that are available for students:
Our roles provide a valuable opportunity for students to build confidence, make a positive impact and gain skills and experience to help their future career prospects.
No experience is necessary to volunteer with us and our varying levels of training mean our roles are suitable for students from any degree discipline.
Our tailored approach to volunteering means you can use skills you currently have to support or lead activities or choose to receive training to develop new skills. Our guests always tell us that our volunteers are a big part of what makes their holiday so special. Whether you can give one day, one week, two weeks or more, we appreciate every minute. Our volunteers are incredibly important to us and we are so grateful for their support.
Also, remember that volunteering with Revitalise is free! All meals, accommodation and activities/trips you undertake as part of your role are provided.
How do I make sure that Revitalise and the other three charities get my donation?
If you are eligible to take part, just enter the National Student Survey by visiting www.liverpool.ac.uk/nss.
When the survey closes on 30th April, the University will automatically donate £1 for each student who has completed the survey – all you need to do is take part!
What is the National Student Survey?
The National Student Survey is commissioned by the Office for Students and administered by independent research agency Ipsos MORI. It is part of a quality assurance system to generate more detailed information about teaching quality. Don’t worry – your feedback is completely anonymous.
For more information about the survey, please visit the National Student Survey webpage.