University of Sheffield - Students' Union, Sports and Traditions

Students' Union, Sports and Traditions

The University of Sheffield Union of Students was founded in 1906. It has two bars (Bar One – which has a book-able function room with its own bar, The Raynor Lounge – and The Interval); three club venues (Fusion, Foundry and Octagon); one off-campus public house (The Fox and Duck in Broomhill); and coffee shops, restaurants, shops, a supermarket, the cinema Film Unit, a fully functioning and student run theatre company (suTCo), a student radio station called Forge Radio, its own newspaper, Forge Press, and about two hundred student societies and many sports teams.

The Union hosts a variety of advice and support services. Real-time information can be found by following @SSiDSheffield or @SheffieldSU on Twitter.

In November 2009 a development project began to redevelop the Students' Union building, funded by £5m by the HEFCE, which was completed and re-opened in September 2010. Works centred on improving circulation around the building by aligning previously disjointed floors, improving internal access between the Union building and neighbouring University House, and constructing a striking new entrance and lobby that incorporates the university's traditional colours of black and gold.

The annual "Varsity Challenge" takes place between teams from the University and its rival Sheffield Hallam University in over 30 events.

As well as rag week (a week of raising money ran by the University of Sheffield's 'Raising and Giving' Committee), students used to raise funds by taking part in the Pyjama Jump pub crawl, cross-dressed only in nightwear in mid-winter: the men often dressed in nighties or in drag featuring mini-skirts and fishnet tights, and the women in pyjamas. This event was banned in 1997 following the hospitalisation of several students. Another RAG tradition is Spiderwalk, a 12.5 mile trek through the city and the Peak District through the night; other societies run fund-raising activities throughout the night, such as a 24-hour role-playing event. Sheffield's students are also very active when it comes to volunteering for good causes. The Union's "SheffieldVolunteering" scheme is one of the country's most active and well-recognised student volunteering schemes and has won various national acclaims over the years.