The Activities Quality Mark (AQM) has achieved national recognition after being shortlisted for the Student Opportunities Award at the NUS Awards 2015.

Despite being very much in its infancy, the AQM has quickly gained traction with sports clubs and societies who have increased their membership by over 10% since the launch of the scheme.

“I’m over the moon with the news that the AQM has been shortlisted for an award in the Student Opportunities category of NUS awards!” said Jordan Aird, VP Student Activities.

“The AQM was established to support the development of our sports clubs and societies while identifying their success and rewarding their achievements.

“And thanks to their commitment, we’ve had an unbelievable year celebrating the million and one things they have done this year.”

The NUS Awards recognise the best innovations across the Students’ Union sector over the past year and the AQM will be up against fellow nominees from:

• Queen Margaret University Students’ Union and Edinburgh University Students’ Association
• Dudley College Students’ Union
• Liverpool Guild of Students
• University of Derby Students’ Union

Community

One of the key achievements of the AQM has been the increase in community involvement by clubs and societies as they pushed to reach the higher levels of awards.

“Not only have our sports clubs and societies got on board with the scheme this year, but many of them have gone over and above, exceeding expectations!

“The work they have done in the local community as part of our volunteering schemes such as Students at the Heart of Hud and Student Volunteering Week showed their commitment to building links with local residents.”

This community spirit flowed into fundraising as groups participated in Raise and Give (RAG) Week as well as contributing over £9000 in charitable donations towards the RAG total over the course of the year.

Opportunities

Developing new opportunities for students across the University was a driver of the scheme to ensure as many students as possible had the opportunity to take part in a club or society.

Jordan added: “As no two activity groups are the same and often their values and aims vary, developing an accreditation scheme for all student groups proved challenging.

“With this in mind the AQM was developed to encourage flexibility, ensuring our groups remained student-led and didn’t feel like their activity was restricted.

“This framework has seen the range of opportunities available for students to get involved in at our University continually increase and that’s all down to these groups.

Jordan finished by saying: “Being shortlisted for this award is just yet another good news story which has come as a result of the dedication of our clubs and societies!”

The winners of the NUS Awards 2015 will be announced during the awards dinner on Wednesday 8 July at the Macron Stadium, Bolton, and you can see a full list of awards and shortlists online now.