RAG Week raises record amount for teenage cancer

RAG Week on Week 8 saw the Raising and Giving society (RAG) raise their largest amount on record in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The annual flagship event raised £4,600 for the charity through numerous on-campus events such as a ‘Battle of the Socs’ event, a Poetry Slam event and Strictly Come Dancing at Warwick.

Throughout the week over 60 active volunteers were involved in organising events. More than 600 lecture deliveries were completed over the five days. RAG volunteers delivered roses, pied students and staff, and performed lap-dances and serenades.

A successful opt-out system was employed with regards to the deliveries, giving recipients the option to refuse to partake if they wished.

This, along with safe-guarding workshops and ‘gnoming’-specific training for all volunteers meant that this year’s RAG Week took a more consent-aware focus compared to previous years. (‘Gnoming’ involves covering an individual in water, flour and baked beans.)

In addition to deliveries, RAG Week saw a ‘Battle of the Socs’ evening, in which six different clubs and societies swapped activities. Mixed Netball were crowned the winners and received a series of free tickets for the Christmas Ball.

President of RAG, Andy King, praised the week’s volunteers: “The team were genuinely incredible – they turned up not only day after day but hour after hour, and put on the best program of events I believe RAG has ever produced.”

There was also a Strictly Come Dancing event, with the Latin and Ballroom society collaborating with other groups, and a Poetry Slam open mic night which tackled the theme of Global Issues.

Andy King further commented: “We continued old partnerships with Warwick Glee, but also found new friends in Latin and Ballroom, Poetry Slamming, Mixed Netball and even Pole: who both took part in the evening entertainments and produced some of the highest quality lap-dances the campus has ever seen.”

Another highlight of the week saw Disco Dave, of POP! fame, getting gunged. The week was rounded off with a 40-person bar crawl in Leamington to celebrate the highest amount of money raised to date.

Jess Jackson, RAG Week co-ordinator, commented: ‘RAG week was a huge success raising around £4,500 in just 5 days for Teenage Cancer Trust- the best RAG have ever raised at RAG week!

“The week was full of fun, excitement and most importantly a lot of cream! We’d like to thank all our volunteers throughout the week and to Glee club who did many serenades and dances.

“We couldn’t be happier with the outcome and would like to thank everyone who donated and humiliated their friends!”

RAG is a nationally recognised charitable initiative involving students from across the country, and in addition to dedicated fundraising week. Warwick’s branch of the society is active all year round, with plans for a trip to Uganda with the Gorilla Project next summer, and a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in September 2015, all in aid of charity.