2010 promises big things for Royal Holloways RAG team!

It’s likely you will have noticed the exciting new logo popping up all over campus, but did you know that on top of this, a fab new team boasts a new RAG Chair, Sponsorship Officer, Off-Campus Events Officer and their first ever Social Secretary? Of course these positions exist alongside the old team, who are working hard to make RAG better than ever!

As the new chair, elected at the beginning of February, Ben Parfitt already has big plans when it comes to changing the image of RAG and taking it in a new, exciting direction.

‘Having only very recently become involved with RAG I was somewhat underwhelmed by the rather dismal level of participation. When the opportunity arose to run for RAG chair following a resignation halfway through the year, I jumped at the chance and relished the challenge of turning RAG around!’

As for the other new positions on the team, not all students may be aware of what this hard working bunch’s jobs actually involve. So here’s a quick summary to introduce you to the new board!

It is the role of the Off-Campus Events Officer, or ‘Raids Officer’, to organise raids outside of university. This means RAG invading our local town centres, shopping malls, train stations etc, usually in outrageous fancy dress costumes, to collect money for a specific charity. This year the responsibility falls on Emma Harding, who has already organised two raids for you to get involved with.

‘I hope to take RAG off-campus as we re-launch. It will be great if we can get out there in the big towns to maximize our fundraising potential for the charities that need us! I hope to be the organization behind such events and the one to make connections between RAG members and charities they feel passionately about and to liaise with the social sec so that we can make our off-campus stuff great fun too’, says Emma.

Beth Bridewell, as Social Secretary, will this year organise all the social events for the members of RAG themselves. This includes union nights, society dinners, after-raid parties and anything else, ensuring all the volunteers have as much fun as they deserve!

She was ecstatic about taking the role, commenting ‘I am really excited about making RAG a sociable, fun and productive society that gives to people that need it (with major jokes and banter in the process.) As Social Sec, I am so up for encouraging a RAG community spirit and organizing lots of exciting things to bring us all together.’

Finally, Emily Hampton-Matthews was recently voted RAG’s Sponsorship Officer for this year. In order to hold future events, the sponsorship officer has the role of convincing businesses to donate money and prizes to RAG, essential to organizing the most amazing events yet.

‘I am really excited about becoming part of the RAG Board. Every year RAG week takes on a different persona and I am looking forward to being part of the team that creates the look and feel of this year’s events.’ Emily explained. ‘I am looking at innovative ways to raise as much money as possible from local businesses, organizations and individuals to support our events to enable us to donate as large a sum as possible to our chosen charities.’

As well as the exciting new Board members, RAG is also pleased to announce it’s brand new upcoming events! This term already, RAG has arranged two raids, one for Barnados and one for Great Ormond Street. Then on March 19th, there is RAG Day itself, promising to be one of the most fun-filled events yet.

The day includes an old-school sports day, open to all, and for the evening, a fancy dress SU night. The imaginative theme is ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, and RAG invite you all to get as creative as possible – dress up as a tiger, a lion, Tarzan, Jane, or anything else you can think of.

This is just the start of RAG’s innovative plans for this year. However, the sole reason the volunteers working for RAG arrange these events is so that students can raise money for a range of important causes, many of which may be close to your heart.

It’s not too late to get involved! It’s free to join, and the team are always ready to welcome new members. The more people that volunteer, the more money RAG can raise, the more good our chosen charities can do!

With a new face, a new board and a whole new calendar of events coming up, there couldn’t be a better time to get on board!

If you are interested in getting involved with RAG, contact RAG Chair, Ben Parfitt, at ragchair@su.rhul.ac.uk