STUDENTNEWS Inter-campus cyclists saddle up to help hospice


AGROUP of students set them- selves the challenge of cycling the 55-mile round trip between the Warrington and Chester campuses to raisemoney for charity.


WHEELY GOOD: The inter-campus bike ride covered a 55-mile round trip between Chester and Warrington. OllyHoward, CSUVice-President


(Warrington) said: “Although it was hardwork,we had a great day and everyonewas really happywhenwe completed it. It


was all in aid of St Rocco'sHospice inWarrington andwe have hope- fully raised several hundred pounds.” Father IanDelinger dressed as a


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Will’s solo bike bid across UK


Smurf for the occasion. He said: “Itwas really good to


talk to the students during the ride and a great timewas had by all.”


Theremarkable livesofnurseSingh


HARMINDER Singh has dedic- ated her life to charitable work in India’s Punjab. Since moving to Altrincham with


her GP husband, Dr Inder PalSingh, Harminder has developed parallel ca- reers, one in England and one in Pun- jab. InEngland,Harmindergainedafirst


classhonoursdegree inNursingat the University of Chester and now works as a hospital nurse. She returns to Punjabfive or six


times a year to work for ASR Char- itableTrust, ahealth and education- focused charity of whichshe is the


Treasurer andherhusband theChair- man. Harminder graduated fromtheWar-


ringtoncampus inSeptember2009and now plans to progress her training to Masters degree level on apart-time basis. She will be specialising in dia- betes care, a course whichwill be particularly useful forher voluntary work,asdiabetes is relativelycommon in Punjab. Harminder said: “I come from the


Amritsar region of Punjab, where manypeople have little money and often cannot afford to payfor edu- cation or healthcare.


“I started volunteering at the age of


10,helpingout inanoldpeople’shome, and since then have always wanted to help other people. “I movedto England with Inder Pal


and my children in 1997. As well as bringing up my three sons I have worked inhealthcare related roles and studied, alwayswith a viewtomaking myselfmore useful in Amritsar. “I startedmy nursing course in 2006,


around the same time we set up ASR Charitable Trust. “I chose the University of Chester


because its Faculty of Health and So- cial Care has a strong reputation.”


LIFESAVER: Harminder Sigh (right) and ASR Charitable Trust pharmacist Ravinder Kaur register patients at one of the charity’s medical camps.


Show of support for Haiti quake victims


INJANUARY students did their bit to help victims of theHaiti Earthquake by raisingmore than £2,000 for the appeal.


Clubs and societies, alongwith


both the Chester Students’ Uni- on President andVice-President, organised a range of events within days of the disaster and raising around £2,200 for the Disasters Emergency Committee Haiti Earthquake appeal in just amatter of days. The events kicked offwith


Hugs forHaiti, duringwhich members of the University’s People and Planet Society em- braced staff, students and visit- ors around the Parkgate Road campus in return for a donation. Two days of standing through rain, sleet and strongwind paid dividendswith about £400 being raised. JenniMosswas one of the stu-


dents fromthe People and Plan- et Societywho took part inHugs forHaiti. She said: “We justwanted to


make a difference, even if it is a drop in the ocean in terms of fundraising. “Wewere horrified at the


scenes thatwere being beamed back fromHaiti on television. By doing our bit, hopefully itwill help to bring comfort in some formto the victims of this dev- astating disaster.” In the days that followed the


University Rowing Teamcontin- ued the hardworkwith a 12-hour rowathonwhich raised a further £400,while a group of third year geography students


HAIR-RAZING: Chester Students’ Union Vice-President Oliver Howard has his head shaved.


raised £800with a Penny for a Pound appeal, inwhich they drewan outline ofHaiti and asked passers-by to help fill the middlewith donations. Finally, both the Students’ Uni-


on President JamieNorthrop andWarrington-basedVice- PresidentOliverHoward carried out a sponsored head-shaving at the end of Januarywhich raised more than £550.


SIGN UP: Members of the People and Planet Society with self-made T-shirts and signs during their Hugs for Haiti campaign. Pictured are Jennifer Saxon, Laura Hampson, Jenni Moss, Ava Watkins, Amy Greaves and GeeSoo Seong.


ARMEDwith littlemore than his tent, a mobile phone and a puncture repair kit, an employee at the University of Chester will have only himself for company as he cycles almost 1,000miles for charity.


WillMaginn headed up north to John


O’Groats inMaywhen he planned to pedal completely unsupported in the hope of raising £1,000 for Cancer Re- searchUK. The 25-year-old,who graduated from


the University last summerwith a de- gree in Software Engineering,was due to leave Chester for Scotland as Student Newswent to press. Will,who cycles to his job in Registry


Services every day, said: “Being happy is something that I cherish and the hap- piness of others evenmore so. “Formost people life is a short and


fast-paced experience filledwith fun and joy and it is all too easy to forget about others in need. “By doing this trip and challenging


myselfmentally and physically I hope to bring at least some happiness to those who need it farmore than I do. “I decided to setmy target at £1,000, as


it roughlyworks out to £1 for everymile I cycle,which personally I think is good value formoney! “I’ve chosen to raisemoney for Cancer


ResearchUKbecause it’s a disease that is likely to affect everyone in someway during their lives,whether it is directly or through knowing someonewho has it.” In order tomake sure the charity gets


every penny fromhis challengeWill, originally fromBallinamallard, has set up an online charity donation page through JustGiving. He said: “Iwill be camping formost of


the journeywithmaybe one or two B&B or hotel stops along theway but it is very important tome that none of the money raised through doing this is used towards funding any part ofmy trip.” Will intends to prove he’s accom-


plished hismission by taking pictures of himself at various stop-offs along the way andwill keep an account of his time on the roadwhich he intends to upload in a blog about his travelswhen he gets back home. Followhis progress at twitter.com/


wil_49 and under the search term‘AmI there yet…’ on Facebook. He added: “It is nervewracking be-


cause it’s a big challenge and I’ll be all bymyself so it’s going to be tough going at times. “But in away that is the point of the


trip, towork outsidemy comfort zone and pushmyself, butmost importantly to complete the journey and to keep myself safe on the roads.” Visit justgiving.co.uk/maginn tomake a donation.


EVERY PENNY COUNTS: Geography students during their Penny for a Pound appeal. Pictured are Marie Fish, Daniel Mellor, Tom Dobbing, Matthew Davey, Natasha Williams, Joanne Suraye and Joel Cheetham.


IN THE SADDLE: Will Maginn gets on his bike for Cancer Research UK.


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