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Mental Health Support - Internal and External Mental Health and Wellbeing Support at AUP SU The Students' Union regularly runs events to support mental health and wellbeing, including for Mental Health Awareness Week, University Mental Health Day, and more. We work with the University's Human Resources Team to ensure key University staff are Mental Health First Aid trained, and you can spot these staff by their pink lanyards (pictured right). We always aim to ensure the Student Union President and Student Union Manager are Mental Health First Aid trained and undergo additional training in the form of ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. Mental Health and Wellbeing Support at AUP At Arts University Plymouth, the Student Support services offer help with everything from finance issues to disability, as well as counselling, mindfulness, acupuncture and more. You can find out about the Student Support team and what they offer by emailing them at studentsupport@aup.ac.uk . Mental Health Support in Plymouth Livewell South West provides a wide range of services for people requiring support to improve or manage their mental health, including a 24/7 Crisis Line. The Zone is one support system in the city, offering budgeting, debt and money advice, information and support, mental health support, housing and homelessness help, sexual health and relationships advice, and more. You can find The Zone on Union Street. Plymouth Domestic Abuse Services provide support for men, women and children who need advice and protection from domestic abuse. They offer a wide range of help including a refuge and one to one support and confidential advice. Harbour are a Plymouth-based substance misuse charity that provides support for those with complex lives. There are lots of other support networks across Plymouth that provide help and advice for a wide range of issues, you can find more on the Student Support section of the portal or by searching through the Hub of Hope , by service type and location. In an emergency, always call 999.

Football Football Clubs in Plymouth Use this link to find a team or check out the ones below. Teams that play in Leagues: Plymouth Parkway - find out more here. Find a team resources: Teamstats - Plymouth teams. Englandfootball - find football. Every Player Counts Accesible Football teams/clubs in Plymouth. Find out more here. Football Pitches in Plymouth Find football pitches in Plymouth - here.

Frisbee Disc Golf - Mount Edgcumbe Frisbe golf at Mount Edgcumbe is a 9 hole course which takes you on a walk along the whole of the park. It costs £5.99 per adult and £3.99 per child and takes approximately one and a half hours to play. For more information, click here . Plymouth Ultimate Frisbee Club Plymouth Ultimate was founded by our very own Adam Levi (Senior Learning Technologist). The club typically trains every other Saturday at central park and they also play in competitive tournaments. To learn more, see their website here . Central Park Frisbee Golf Central Park has a range of golf options including a 9 hole frisbee golf course. They offer introductory trips for new players and also sell their own frisbees! For more information and to check out their other golfing options (pitch and putt and foot golf) see their website here .

Anti-Burnout Initiative The Anti-Burnout Initiative is a project led by Student Union President 2023-2025, Beth Evans. The project includes resources, events and various content to help you to be kind to your brain. Dopamine Menu Click the blue square to view a downloadable template for a 'Dopamine Menu'. Book Recommendations Check out my book recommendations for feeling re-motivated and creative. More content coming soon Keep checking back for more exciting updates.

Rugby Plymouth Argaum RFC Find out more here. Plymouth Dolphins Inclusive Rugby club who promote marine conservation. See their website here . Old Plymothian and Mannameadian RFC OPM RFC has a whole range of teams including a walking rugby team. Check them out here. Rugby Pitches in Plymouth Plymouth City Council has a list of local public rugby pitches - click here to view it.

Arts University Plymouth Official Merchandise All sales from merchandise go straight back into our services and support, such as the Student Union Food Bank and Period Poverty Project. You can drop us a message on our social media (Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @artsuniplymsu) or email us at studentsunion@aup.ac.uk to order place an order to collect or browse in the Union Shop located within the Student Union Office. Official 2025/26 Price List Hoodies Light Pink, Light Blue and Forest Green, Sizes S-2XL, £25. Crewneck Sweatshirts Black, Sizes S-2XL, £20. T-Shirts Black, Forest Green and White, Sizes S-2XL, £12. Beanies Customised black beanie with embroidered plant bot illustration, £8. Tote Bags Forest Green, Lavender and Natural Cotton, £6. A3 Full-Colour Illustrative Prints Printed in-house on A3 card, these prints show off the full-colour illustration, £5. Fridge Magnets Sustainable (birch and bamboo) Arts University Plymouth keyrings made using the FabLab facilities on site, £1. Keyrings Sustainable (birch and bamboo) Arts University Plymouth keyrings made using the FabLab facilities on site, £1. Coasters Sustainable (birch and bamboo) Arts University Plymouth keyrings made using the FabLab facilities on site, £1. We aspire for our merchandise to be as local, sustainable and affordable as possible. We have previously used on site facilities such as the Textiles Workshop for screen printing and the FabLab for laser cutting, showing off the Universities in-house resources through our merch offering. Our merchandise is always designed by students and graduates, and has recently been updated through a paid student brief. Our newest merchandise was launched in October 2024, and was designed by BA(Hons) Illustration graduate, Zara McDermott.

Student Union Team We are your Union team! Made up of the Student Union Manager, Student Union President, Student Union Executive Committee, and Student Ambassadors all here to give you the best possible student experience. To contact any staff listed on this page, please email studentsunion@aup.ac.uk . Please note at present our only full-time staff members are the Student Union Manager and Student Union President, others are volunteers or on casual contracts. Harriet Moore Student Union Manager (She/Her) Harriet manages the Student Union finances, staffing, events and more. She takes your feedback (often through the Student Union President) and uses it to create things just for you. BA (Hons) Photography Graduate 2020 Jasper Hutchings Student Union President and Student Governor (He/Him) Jasper is your Student Union President and they are here to make your voices heard! He runs Student Council meetings, supports student-led clubs and societies, and ensures your feedback goes to all the right places. BA (Hons) Illustration Graduate 2025 Student Ambassadors Line-managed by the Student Union Manager Our Student Ambassadors support you from when you move in and during Freshers to events and regular bar nights throughout the year. This is a flexible paid role for any current AUP student studying on Extended BA, Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses. Interested? We generally hire at the end of each academic year ahead of the autumn term, but do email if you think you'd be good for the job! Student Union Executive Committee 2025/26 The Student Union Executive Committee is a voluntary team of students, elected by the student body, to represent the student voice. They meet at least twice each term as a group, and monthly with key members of the University's staff team, to work on areas of student feedback and points from their manifestos. Please note: They are in post until October 2026, unless graduating at the end of the 2025/26 academic year. Dorron Britz (He/Him) Vice-President of Higher Education (HE) and Student Governor Eduard Shepherd (He/Him) Marketing and Enterprise Lead Lola Hamilton (She/Her) Wellbeing Representative (FE) Helen Claret (She/Her) Wellbeing Representative (HE) Annie Kalambay (She/Her) Disability Representative (HE) Lar King (She/They) Disability Representative (FE) Evan Wiffill (They/Them) Events and Societies Lead Ellen McPetrie (They/Them) Vice-President for Further Education (FE) Josh Martyn (They/Them) LGBTQ+ Representative (FE)

Sexual Health Support - Internal and External Free Condoms and Oral Dams The Students' Union provides a range of condoms and oral dams, available for free from outside the Student Union Office at Tavistock Place. If you are looking for a specific item that you can't find, please feel free to pop in and ask! There are also a number of local schemes that offer free condoms, which you can find out more about here . Free Pregnancy Tests The Students' Union has free pregnancy tests available for those who may need them. These can be collected from the Student Union Office. You are welcome to email us ahead of popping in, or book a timeslot via our QR codes, to ensure someone will be around for you to access these. STI and HIV Testing Derriford Hospital is the main Sexual Health in Plymouth (SHiP) hub. They offer STI testing and treatment, HIV care, routine and emergency contraception, and abortion services. The G.U.M. (Genito-Urinary Medicine) clinic is an NHS run clinic for all aspects of sexual health. Find out more here . The Zone's sexual health service can offer help with condoms and lube, emergency contraception, contraception options and advice, pregnancy testing, chlamydia testing, sexual health advice, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and referrals to other services. Find out more here .

Sports in Plymouth We've put together this easy guide to some of the most popular sports in the city, so you can find the ones that suit you! If you know of any others that we haven't mentioned here, please get in touch with us at studentsunion@aup.ac.uk and we'll add it to this guide. Badminton Find Out More Baseball Find Out More Basketball Find Out More Cricket Find Out More Cycling Find Out More Dance Find Out More Fitness Find Out More Football Find Out More Frisbee Find out More Netball Find Out More Rugby Find Out More Running Find Out More Skateboarding, Scootering and Rollerskating Find Out More Snowsports Find Out More Swimming Find Out More Tennis Find Out More Looking for the Clubs and Societies of Arts University Plymouth? Click here .

Awards and Achievements This page details the awards and achievements of the Students' Union, as well as our Student-Led Clubs and Societies. If you are looking for information about the Above and Beyond Awards, please click here . National Student Survey 2024 Students have rated Arts University Plymouth above the national benchmark in all seven categories of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2024. This year, across the NSS 2024, Arts University Plymouth was the highest-scoring arts university in the UK in six of the seven NSS categories: ‘Teaching on my course’, ‘Learning opportunities’, ‘Assessment and feedback’, ‘Organisation and management’, ‘Learning resources’ and ‘Student voice’ , when compared against the UK’s seven other well-respected arts universities (Arts University Bournemouth, Falmouth University, Leeds Arts University, Norwich University of the Arts, Ravensbourne University, University for the Creative Arts, and University of the Arts London). This is an even better result than last year, when Arts University Plymouth was the highest-scoring arts university in the UK in five of the seven NSS categories. Arts University Plymouth has the highest-rated Students’ Union in the NSS 2024 of any specialist arts university in the UK and in Plymouth, based on the NSS question “How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?”. Overall, Arts University Plymouth was the top-ranking arts university in the UK for 20 of the 27 questions that students were asked in the NSS 2024, improved from last year when Arts University Plymouth was the top-ranking arts university in the UK for 17 of the 27 questions. Second Place Students' Union (South West England) At the 2024 WhatUni Student Choice Awards (WUSCA's), Arts University Plymouth Students' Union was voted the second best Students' Union in the South West of England. National Student Survey 2023 Students have rated Arts University Plymouth above the national benchmark in all categories of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2023. This year, across the NSS 2023, Arts University Plymouth was the highest scoring arts university in the UK in five of the seven NSS categories: “teaching on my course”, “learning opportunities”, “assessment and feedback”, “learning resources” and “student voice” , when compared against the UK’s seven other well-respected arts universities (Arts University Bournemouth, Falmouth University, Leeds Arts University, Norwich University of the Arts, Ravensbourne University, University for the Creative Arts, and University of the Arts London). Think Student Awards 2021 - Winner of the "Best Campaign Supporting Student Wellbeing" Award. Plymouth College of Art Students’ Union (PCA:SU) won Best Campaign Supporting Student Wellbeing at the 2021 Think Student Awards , beating leading international universities to be selected as the winner by the Student Pulse panel of 40,000 students. The Think Student Awards are the only awards of their kind, judged by the students themselves and measuring real impact. Judges said: “The students loved how Plymouth College of Art went above and beyond to support their students during the pandemic, providing tangible help and access to essential items.” Find out more about the awards and why PCA SU won here . Pictured: Harriet Moore (left), Student Union President 2020-2022, and Paige Nolan (right), former Student Union Manager. The National Societies & Volunteering Awards 2021 - Longlist for "The Collaboration Award" The Photographic Society made it to the longlist of The Collaboration Award after being nominated by the Students’ Union for their Photography Symposium with local artist Robert Darch and local company The South West Collective. At the time, the society is led by second year BA (Hons) Photography students Harry McCallum, Mia Hollywood, Jaymee Lewis and Dan Dayment who didn’t let the pandemic get in the way of their activities, instead organising an amazing online event that was open to everyone and was the most successful society event of this academic year in terms of both number of attendees and positive feedback post.

Basketball Basketball England - Find a Club Click here to find a club with Basketball England. Unity Through Sport Unity Through Sport host weekly basketball sessions at Derriford Centre for Health and Wellbeing. Mixed basketball - every Saturday from 11am-12pm, £2.50 per session. Womens only - every Saturday from 12-1pm, £2.50 per session. Over 35's only - every Friday from 7-8pm, £3.00 per session For more information about their clubs and teams, click here . Central Park Pirates The Central Park Pirates are an amatuer basketball team who play in local leagues. Click here to find out more. Wheelchair Basketball Fusion Basketball hosts wheelchair basketball at YMCA Plymouth. The 16+ sessions run from 12:30-1pm on Sundays. To find out more, click here . Local Basketball Courts Plymouth Life Center has bookable courts. To see their website, click here . There are also a number of public courts to play at for example, Central Park, Tothill Park and North down Basketball Park.

Skateboarding, Scootering and Rollerskating Skateparks in Plymouth Prime Delux Prime is Plymouth's only Indoor Skatepark. They have general sessions, skate tuition, over 40's nights and girls and non-binary nights! Cick here to visit their website and learn more. Central Park Skatepark This is an outdoor skatepark, lit with floodlights when it's dark out. It's located at Central Par so there are WC facilites available as well as a cafe nearby. Click here to see the park and learn more. Skateparks in Cornwall Saltmill Outdoor Skatepark - Click Here. Skatepark Locator Use this resource to find skateparks near you. Rollerskating SK8House Roller Disco - click here. Plymouth Roller Disco & Learn 2 Skate Facebook - click here.

Snowsports Plymouth Snowsports Centre With Ski, Snowboard, Tubing and Tobogganing - there's something for everyone at Plymouth Snowsports Centre. Click here to visit their website and find out more.

Freshers 2021 We want to make sure you have the best start to Plymouth College of Art and we want to help you all settle in. Our Student Union Ambassadors will be on-hand to help you move into Host accommodation, The Old Dairy and Frobisher House, and will be at all of our events to answer any questions you might have and help you meet people from all areas of the PCA community. We want to be as inclusive as possible so we're planning events to suit everybody, from tours of the city to exciting bar nights in the freshly renovated Students' Union, as well as events for LGBTQ+ students, mature students and more. All of our events will be ticketed, even the free ones, so that you can grab your space at any of our Freshers activities and won't have to worry about missing out. We have everything from paid trips to local attractions, to admission-free events both on campus and around the city, to help you get to know your new home - check them out via Eventbrite ! All events are subject to change and will be in line with Covid restrictions at the time.

Bra Recycling Against Breast Cancer - Bra Bank Against Breast Cancer's bra recycling scheme takes your unwanted or unloved bras and through their network of bra banks raises vital funds for pioneering breast cancer research. We have a Bra Bank in the Students' Union which you can donate to. Donated bras also help to support small businesses in Africa. Together with their recycling partners, and their textile recovery project prevents these bras going into landfill before giving them a new lease of life in developing countries such as Togo, Ghana and Kenya, where bras remain too expensive to produce locally. Successful ventures like this keep many families in developing countries out of poverty whilst providing employment for people at home in the UK. Any bras that are genuinely beyond redemption are dismantled and disposed of properly. For every tonne of bras collected, Against Breast Cancer receives £700 to fund their research. With over 30 million women in the UK you could really help make a difference. Bring your old bra's into the SU and donate today! Vape Recycling In the UK, approximately 5 million single-use vapes are thrown away each week. This amounts to about 8 vapes discarded every second, highlighting a significant environmental problem. In collaboration with our Sustainability Lead 2022-24, Tobias Davies, we worked with the University Estates team to install a vape recycling bin in the Students' Union. This is regularly emptied so we encourage you to bring in your vapes, your mates vapes or even vapes you've found on the street, so that they can be properly recycled.

Freshers 2020 Many of you might be wondering how Freshers will work this year with the restrictions that Coronavirus puts in place. We want you to have the most authentic Freshers experience possible whilst also keeping you safe, so we will be running all of our usual events in person but there are limited capacities and each will be ticketed to ensure your safety, all events will be booked through Eventbrite . We want to make sure you have the best start to Plymouth College of Art and we want to help you all settle in. Our Student Union Ambassadors will be on hand to help you move into Host halls and will be at all of our events to answer any questions you might have and help you meet people from all areas of the PCA community. We want to be as inclusive as possible so we're planning events to suit everybody, from casual Coffee and Cake events to fun Drink and Draw events. You can find the full details of all events below, along with the links to book them. See you soon! City Tour September 13, 4:30-6:30 Get to know the city with our fun tour of Plymouth. We'll leave from outside PCA and your tour guides will point out all the useful shops and landmarks like the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Smeaton's Tower and Tinside Lido. The tour ends on the Barbican where we'll get fish and chips (traditional, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free). Book This Event City Tour September 21, 4:30-6:30 Get to know the city with our fun tour of Plymouth. We'll leave from outside PCA and your tour guides will point out all the useful shops and landmarks like the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Smeaton's Tower and Tinside Lido. The tour ends on the Barbican where we'll get fish and chips (traditional, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free). Book This Event City Tour September 28, 4:30-6:30 Get to know the city with our fun tour of Plymouth. We'll leave from outside PCA and your tour guides will point out all the useful shops and landmarks like the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Smeaton's Tower and Tinside Lido. The tour ends on the Barbican where we'll get fish and chips (traditional, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free). Book This Event The Box Visit October 2, 1:30 onwards Our neighbours at The Box are back and open again after their amazing renovation so we're taking you on a tour to see what they have in store for you! Book This Event City Tour October 5, 4:30-6:30 Get to know the city with our fun tour of Plymouth. We'll leave from outside PCA and your tour guides will point out all the useful shops and landmarks like the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Smeaton's Tower and Tinside Lido. The tour ends on the Barbican where we'll get fish and chips (traditional, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free). Book This Event The Box Visit October 6, 1:30 onwards Our neighbours at The Box are back and open again after their amazing renovation so we're taking you on a tour to see what they have in store for you! Book This Event Coffee and Cake Morning October 7, 10-12 Join us in the Students' Union (Tavistock Place) for some coffee and cake - perfect for those who want to socialise and get to know other students in a more chilled out and relaxed environment. Coffee, tea and cake will be provided! Book This Event Coffee and Cake Afternoon October 7, 1-3 Join us in the Students' Union (Tavistock Place) for some coffee and cake - perfect for those who want to socialise and get to know other students in a more chilled out and relaxed environment. Coffee, tea and cake will be provided! Book This Event Plant Sale w/ Nook Houseplants October 8, 12:30-4 Need some new plants to brighten up your room, or just need to replace the ones you forgot to water? Find the Nook Houseplants stall in the Students' Union (Tavistock Place) to satisfy all your plant needs! Book This Event Drink and Draw: Plant Pot Painting October 8, 5:30-9 Bevs, friends and drawing - what more could you ask for? Join us for a chilled evening of drawing, drinking and socialising in the Students' Union (Tavistock Place) - we'll have some plant pots to decorate too, for those of you who dropped into the plant sale earlier in the day. Book This Event Aquarium Trip October 11, 2-5 Join us as we visit the National Marine Aquarium ! We'll meet you outside at 1:45pm and you can explore at your leisure until 5pm, then you're free to head home or enjoy your Sunday evening at the amazing pubs and bars at the Barbican. Tickets are £20 per person, which includes admission to the Aquarium. This event will be ticketed and has a limited number due to the requirements of the Aquarium. You will need a face mask to be allowed entry - if you do not have one, let us know beforehand and we can bring a disposable face mask for you. Book This Event Tie-Dye Lunch October 14, 11:30-1:30 Join us for a fun event where you can make your own tie-dyed items whilst socialising in the Students' Union (Tavistock Place)! Book This Event Tie-Dye Lunch October 14, 2-4 Join us for a fun event where you can make your own tie-dyed items whilst socialising in the Students' Union (Tavistock Place)! Book This Event Drink and Draw October 14, 5-9 Bevs, friends and drawing - what more could you ask for? Join us for a chilled evening of drawing, drinking and socialising in the Students' Union (Tavistock Place). Book This Event Blind Date with a Book October 15, 12-5 Come along to the Students' Union and buy an affordable book, with a twist - the books will be wrapped so that you can't judge it by the cover but will have a small description so you can figure out if it's of interest to you! Books will be £1-3. Book This Event SU Merch Flash Sale October 16, 12-5 Join us in the Students' Union to browse all of the SU merch! We'll have merch items from just £1 and even a merch bundle so you can get everything for less! Book This Event Movie and Pizza Night October 20, 5:30-9 Join us for our movie night in the Students' Union - free entry and free pizza! We'll be posting a poll for you to vote on which film you'd like to see on the night! Book This Event Quiz Night October 22, 6-9 Join us for a fun quiz night in the Students' Union, with drinks available from the SU Bar. We will also be live streaming for those who feel more comfortable playing along at home. Book This Event LGBTQ+ Bar Night October 23, 5:30-9 Our LGBTQ+ Representative, Harry McCallum, is hosting an LGBTQ+ Bar Night for all of our new students to meet current members of our LGBTQ+ Society. Book This Event

Student Council Interested in making your voice heard? So you want to be more engaged? Want to make your voice heard? Join the team of amazing Student Representatives working hard to put across your views and making positive changes across the Arts University Plymouth community. Each course has 2 Student Representatives and 1 Reserve Student Representative in each year cohort, who volunteer for the role at the start of each year and are decided upon by the members of their class. In previous years, Student Representatives have achieved everything from making getting upgraded equipment in the ERC, Students' Union renovations, sanitary pins in the men's toilets and more! Student Representative Role Profile As a Student Representative your job is to represent the views and opinions of your peers and the wider student body at a variety of forums. Be a member of the Student Council Communicate information about students’ rights Attend all Student Voice and SSFM (Staff Student Feedback Meetings) Lead and support on the End of Trimester Evaluations, Induction Survey and National Student Survey Liaise with members of your cohort to ensure your course is being delivered in line with learning and teaching quality and standards Promote the value of the Students’ Union and the other services provided by the University Play an active part in the Students’ Union to help make a positive change within our community Instigate discussions for events and activities, clubs and society ideas, etc. Raise any feedback from your peers around student experience to the appropriate staff and forums Refer any issues or grievances to the Students’ Union that may require action at a higher level To be a representative for and help to shape the University, driving and supporting the change and strategies within.

Student Union Executive Committee The Student Union Executive Committee is a team of students, elected by the student body, to represent the student voice. Elections are held annually in the autumn term, with both FE and HE students being able vote to elect students in every position. If you have any questions or are interested in running for any positions, do get in touch. Student Union Executive Committee Positions (FE) Vice President of Further Education Equality and Diversity Representative Sustainability Representative Wellbeing Representative LGBTQ+ Representative Ethnic Minorities Representative Disability Representative Student Union Executive Committee Positions (HE) Vice President of Higher Education Events and Societies Lead Marketing and Enterprise Lead Volunteers and Charities Lead Equality and Diversity Representative Sustainability Representative Wellbeing Representative LGBTQ+ Representative Ethnic Minorities Representative Disability Representative Mature Representative

Netball Play Netball - Tuesday League This team plays at a sheltered court - ideal for typical Plymouth weather! Find out more here. 'Find a Team' Resources See the local Life Netball resource - here. Netball Courts Click here to check out some netball courts available to hire. The Firebirds The Firebirds have teams for all ages and are a super friendly community. There are groups for under 8s, under 12s, under 16s and seniors (18+). Find them on Facebook here.