Welcome to The Lancaster Tab’s Good News Column, following April’s column, we’re back with more heartwarming stories, funny moments and all the Lancaster trash stories from the heart of Lancaster campus to help you get through the day during the Coronavirus Pandemic.  

Grizedale Netball have been entertaining their team with Quarantine challenges

The Grizedale Netball Team have been entertaining their team during lockdown with quarantine challenges. There has been two rounds of challenges so far, and they compete as teams. Grizedale Netball told The Lancaster Tab that the activities include: 10,000 sit ups (x2), Spotify playlists to represent the captain, downing drinks and climbing Everest (6,506 flights of stairs).

The playlist made for Lucy summarises any night out in Sugar: “I am a liability in da club, can’t help myself, I’m a mess, I’ve been banned.”

Grizedale Netball said: “Everyone is enjoying it, gives us something to do! It’s also a nice way to share what everyone has been up to during lockdown and keeps us talking to each other. Some of the challenges have been hard, but the non-exercise ones are definitely good fun.”

On-campus hairdressers, Diamond Hair and Beauty, have signed up to offer the NHS free hair services

In an Instagram post, on-campus hairdressers Diamond Hair and Beauty, have released that they have signed up to the NHS nationwide charity for a national hair sunday where they will be giving free hair services to NHS workers. In the post, they clarify that the date of the service will be released after lockdown.

Diamond Hair and Beauty shared a post stating: “We are on the countdown to lockdown when we are going to open our doors on a Sunday (unknown dates yet) to give something back to the hearts of our frontliners, all NHS workers!!”

The Lancaster University Engineering Department have been producing and donating visors to the NHS

The small team behind the production consists of Tom Abram, Andrew Baker, Sam Walsh, Nick Rennison and Dr Allan Rennie from the Engineering Department at Lancaster University.

The team have collectively assembled visors which have been given to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary for the front line team. The team stated: “There is also Dr Allan Rennie who has been coordinating with the NHS contact and ordering all the materials for us to use. He is an academic in the department who is working remotely as he can’t come in.

The Trade Union, Unison, have donated £600 to help us with material but the rest has come from LPDU accounts. There is also about 3000 curtain hooks that we made for the emergency beds, there is some info about that on our twitter feed. We made an injection mould tool for that and made all the hooks in less than one week from getting the request.”

Students have been providing sketches for local children as part of the Connecting Kids project

This sketch is by Rafia Ghafoor and will be part of the first batch of colouring sheets issued to over 1000 local children

Lancaster University have set up a project which secures 360 laptops and internet for local families in poverty, funded by local charities and businesses. They have also set up a mentoring and tutoring network to support schools in September.

Nik Marsdin stated: “There will be 1,000 stationary packs issued to primary school pupils in poverty, and this is stationary left over from open days and outreach activities and a massive donation from Wilko’s.

We’ve asked students to submit sketches of their favourite places in Lancaster for children to colour in. ‘Sharing the love of Lancaster’. The response has been amazing and we are now looking to develop a COVID colouring book for students and children. We are then looking to decorate the spine with these.” The first batch of colouring sheets will be issued to over 1000 local children who do not have the financial resource to access essential items such as pens, pencils, pads and colouring pencils.”

Lancaster University Netball Club are running 130k over the month of May

In an Instagram post shared by @instalunc they revealed: “Nothing can replace Roses, but this year we’re using the time to try and raise a bit of money for a local charity. Each of us will individually run/walk/cycle/row 130km – the distance from Lancaster to York – throughout the month of May. If you’d like to support us in this challenge you can go to our JustGiving page and all donations go to Lancashire Mind.”

LUNC Social Sec, Caitlin Cook, told The Lancaster Tab: “The team were obviously all gutted we couldn’t compete in Roses this year, but instead we’ve all come together to raise money for this good cause and are loving our time in the outdoors and keeping our fitness up. It’s given us the motivation to get up and go, all the while doing our bit.”

At the time of writing, LUNC have raised £1,160 of their £1,500 target.

A second year student is running 50k a month for ‘The Lucy Faithfull Foundation’

Caitlan-Amber Clucas, a second year Politics and International Relations student, is running 50k a month to raise money for ‘The Lucy Faithfull Foundation‘, a charity that helps prevent sexual abuse. Caitlan-Amber has also been making cupcakes for those that have donated more than £20.

At the time of writing, Caitlan-Amber has raised £305 of her £350 target. Caitlan-Amber told The Lancaster Tab: “This term at university, I decided that I would start trying to keep fit and use my term three membership, but of course that never happened because of you know what. So when lockdown happened I decided to start running and I downloaded an app to help me. The a couple of days later I saw a birthday fundraiser on Facebook and it inspired me to decide to run for charity.

I really wanted to pick a charity that I felt really deserved it and I found the Lucy Faithfull Foundation. So then I thought that running would be great to help fundraise (and also bake cupcakes for people, yum.) 50k sounded like a good number to run and honestly its’s very difficult, but as much as I find it difficult and at times really don’t feel in the mood, I am really enjoying it. The charity I’m running for has been super supportive and I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. I’d recommend anyone and everyone to do it.

P.s. other than running, I still hold my strong title of couch potato.”

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• The Lancs Tab Good News Column: Fundraising, TABUKI playlists and green screens

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