Fresh Start Festival — a week of fun, friends and first times
Fresh Start Festival took place from 24 January to 30 January, to welcome new students, and welcome back those returning after a restful, and revision packed winter break.
Did you go? Ilina, a first year student went and shares her experience of the week.
A wide range of events took place, from treasure hunts and fitness activities to making poetry and Give it a Go (GIAGs) for societies. These events gave students the opportunity to get to know more people, try out new things and learn more about our university.
Wellbeing Cafe
On Monday, I went to the Wellbeing Cafe, which was a chance for students to take part in a selection of wellbeing activities. These included decorating journals, planting seeds (I will be pleasantly surprised if they grow), crocheting and more!
It was a great way to meet students from different courses, and of course there were free refreshments (always a plus). We also had a couple of visits from the Pets as Therapy dogs to help students de-stress and get ready for the semester ahead.
Litter Pick
Later in the week, I joined a litter pick event at Hyde Park. Although the wind was working against us, we managed to fill almost 17 bags of litter, due to which we were then treated to free drinks at Coffee on The Crescent (yay!)
As I said, the Fresh Start Festival provided the perfect opportunity to step out of your comfort zone.
Some students learned to climb in a week while others took wellbeing walks and explored new areas in Leeds and beyond (organised by Get Out, Get Active). I attended the Tae-kwan-do GIAG, where we were taught how to control kicks, self defence and at the end some of the more experienced students showed off their skills. A really fun experience!
I also really enjoyed the Ultimate Frisbee GIAG, where we did a few drills and played mini outdoor games. However there weren’t only sport related GIAGs! During the fair on Wednesday, various clubs and societies had stalls set up, and students could get free pizza, ice cream and other freebies.
Along with all these in-person events, the week also had a wide range of virtual ones, such as online meditation, and information sessions on volunteering and careers.
There were so many other amazing events that took place throughout the week that I was unable to go to as I still had lectures to attend :) but overall from other student’s feedback and reviews, it was clear that it was a widely enjoyed festival week.
Thank you to everyone who made it possible, from the Operations team that organised the whole week and individual teams that set up stalls, to the student volunteers and everyone who came to enjoy the festival!
Ilina, BSc Natural Sciences year 1
Missed the Fresh Start Festival?
Don’t worry — here’s some great reads to get you inspired, motivated and ready to switch up all aspects of your life.
