Alex Murphy is a third year Geography student, member of various societies at UoN, and the president of Soup Run, an awesome project designed to help the homeless community in Nottingham.
What is Soup Run?
It’s a voluntary student led project which helps to feed and clothe Nottingham’s homeless. We provide clothes through donations and the money we fundraise goes to paying for food. Each Monday £11 feeds about 40 people.
And why did you get involved in it?
Homelessness is an issue that I’ve always been interested in, and when I saw that a completely non-committal project was run by students it seemed like the perfect opportunity to actually do something to help homeless people.
How has it changed your outlook on life?
I think it’s done a couple of things. It’s made me realise the real hardships and horrors that people go through in their lives, which are often the reason that people end up homeless. It’s also made me realise that as long as you’re willing to invest time into something like homelessness, you can actually help a lot more people than you were expecting to.
How has it changed since you became president?
Last year there were two soup runs taking place at the university, one that I did and one run by MedSoc. The major change is that we are currently integrating the two projects to create a larger one called ‘Soup Runners’ which we hope will attract more people and help to raise more funds which we’ll invest into the society in order to expand.
Do you find it difficult balancing your degree with being president of such a big project?
I personally don’t find it too difficult. I’m in my third year, so the demands of my course are picking up, especially with the added pressure of my dissertation. But all I’ve done is cut out the time I wasted doing pointless things like Netflix. I tend to work from 9-5 academically, unless there are meetings, and after five I spend time on extracurricular commitments. I enjoy doing it so I’ll always make sure I find the time.
If you want to donate clothes to Soup Run, there is a box in the Volunteering Office in Portland Building. To find out more about Soup Run click here.