Sports & Socs

LGBT+ society is one of the most active societies on campus, as well as one of the most welcoming. I had a chat with President Caroline Byrne, Secretary Felix Johnson and Transgender & Non-binary Represenative Amber Onver to find out what they’re up to this term. So, why should people join LGBT+ Society?  C: LGBT+ society is a great inclusive space for all, but especially for LGBTQ+ students.  Lockdown forced many students to go home to families and environments that might not be accepting of their identity. That’s where we come in: we are an inclusive space for all LGBTQ+ people on campus to help them find and learn about their community. A: It's more important than ever that we stand together and make sure that our voices are heard, and it's just as important that...

“So, what exactly IS liberal arts?” Be prepared to be asked this about 100 times during Freshers’ week (and continuously throughout your life). I study Liberal arts for my degree and I absolutely love it, so naturally when Liberal Arts society was formed in 2019 it was a game-changer. I sat down with president Evie Skyrme to chat about what the society can offer you. So Evie, first of all the inevitable question- what exactly is liberal arts? Liberal arts is basically an interdisciplinary degree. Even across universities it differs massively but here at Royal Holloway, we are offered modules from pretty much every department and get to choose what we study based on our individual interests.  Having been part of the initial formation of the society, you’ve returned this year ...

With numerous natural disasters including the Australia wildfires that opened our 2020 by burning through more than 10 million hectares and took the lives of over a billion native animals, Cyclone Idai that claimed over 1000 lives of those living in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique in March 2019, and the East African drought that occurred throughout 2011, 2017 and 2019 that left 15 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in need of aid… It is hard to turn our backs on a world seeking a helping hand. It’s easy to feel helpless when it seems as though time is passing far too quick for us to even remotely think about making a difference, BUT, what if our everyday routines, habits and guilty pleasures can be a part of the process of rebuilding our home? How many times have you googled m...

For those completing their second or third year as an Undergraduate at Royal Holloway, or those who are Postgraduate returners, the name Dom Brown will be familiar as it has graced this campus for two years following his successful campaigns, running for the position of Vice President of Sports. For those who have joined the Royal Holloway Family this year, it is a name you shall be hearing a lot around the University. In welcoming you first years to Royal Holloway, I had a chat with VP Sport, Dom Brown about his role and why he believes it is an important part of University life to join a Sport or Society during your undergrad. So, Dom, during your time at Royal Holloway as an Undergrad, what did you study?“I studied Film and Television Production for three years, so I was quite artsy a...

Can you tell me about Shakespeare society?  Shakespeare Society is a friendly and open environment for lovers of both Shakespeare and wider forms of art. We love experimenting with new ways to read and perform Shakespeare and welcome anyone who is prepared to give it a go. This year, we are aiming to make the society 50% performance and 50% academic-based to ensure that we can involve as many people as possible. What was your favourite production from last year? My favourite production was probably 'A Midsummer Nightmare' -a comedy spoof of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' done in the style of 'The Play That Goes Wrong'. It was a lot of fun both on and off the stage and everyone just had a really good time with it. Can anyone audition for shows? Absolutely! It does not matt...

So Niamh, tell me a little bit about Hockey at Royal Holloway. Why did you join the team?Well, I joined Hockey because I had been playing hockey for years previous to University; I just love the sport itself, but I could never have anticipated how much I would adore the RHUL Hockey family. What are you most excited about this year?I am excited to see what our new committee has up their sleeve, especially our new President (the woman, the myth, the legend) TJ Sullivan. I am also incredibly excited to see how the incredible twos-twos-twos (Ladies 2's) get on in our new leagues after securing a DOUBLE PROMOTION last season! As someone who was awful at Hockey at school, can less able players like me join the teams?RHUL Hockey has so many teams for people of any ability to be able to get...

So Florence, what exactly is Humans VS Zombies? Humans VS Zombies (or HvZ) is a 24/7 weeklong survival tag game that runs on campus 6 times a year, where humans use Nerf guns to try to survive the oncoming hoard and zombies hunt humans to grow their numbers. Each night of the game you can attend missions where everyone comes together to try and complete objectives! Play continues on campus during the day, making life that much more exciting – but not in academic buildings, so don’t worry about your studies. So there aren’t any zombies?Not that we know of! No makeup or costumes required either, although some players choose to wear it, which is always fun. Our zombies are allowed to run though, so stay alert! As a society, you were awarded ‘Society of the Year’ 2019. Clearly, you’re d...

"So Jamie, Insanity was awarded a Lotto grant last year. Is it safe to say it has been a successful year?"As we enter our 7th year broadcasting on FM, and our 21st year on air, looking back I think it's been a really successful year for the station. We've been to (and run) some huge events and festivals for our audience, such as Reading (a festival we've been to and broadcast live from, for the past three years now), and our community and events team have had a massive impact in local schools. There's been a lot of invisible behind-the-scenes changes too, leaving Insanity in a stronger position than ever. As always, the quality of shows we've seen have been amazing, and I'm incredibly proud of everyone who's been involved with Insanity!  "You clearly have some talented members, bu...