Meet Lucy Hannah O’Driscoll, UoN’s Recreational Running Society’s Charity Officer, who is heading this year’s Valentine Treasure Hunt!
Course: Physical Geography
Year: 3rd
How did you get involve with the society?
I started running with RecRun in my first year, and decided to run for Charity Officer so I could plan great events like this one!
How did the idea of the treasure hunt come about?
The treasure hunt idea came about because we wanted to include people who aren’t confident runners as well as those who are. Although we cater to complete beginners with our runs 3 times a week, some people who haven’t really ever run are still hesitant about joining in, so we wanted to create a really fun activity where people could run as much or as little as they like, whilst getting to know the society and what we do!
Why did you choose this particular charity?
We chose Hope For Children because one of their three main aims is to make sure all the children they can reach get a formal education, which seemed fitting for a university fundraiser. It’s also been great to be able to work with UoN HopeSoc, keeping the event student-run and student-focused!
What can we expect on the day?
On the day, each team will receive a different set of clues to follow to find various places on University Park, where RecRun and HopeSoc volunteers will be waiting to give them the next one, as well as prizes and chocolates! The teams who crack the clues and get to the various hiding places first will win prizes such as Ocean tickets, YoYo tickets, a meal for four at MOD pizza, and much more! Everyone involved will earn chocolates as they make their way around campus, so nobody will leave empty handed!
How can we get involved?
Any UoN student can get involved! Each individual who wishes to enter should buy their own ticket via the SU website (https://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/events/32430/9683/) and then on the day, you can choose to team up with your friends, be put with people you don’t know, or a mixture of both! It’s a great way to make new friends as well as having a laugh with your existing ones! You can join the Facebook event here (https://www.facebook.com/events/724352641067750/) for more details, and if you click ‘attending’ and tag a friend in the comments of our competition post, you could be in with winning two Ocean tickets, a £20 George’s Great British Kitchen Voucher, a CureMe Hangover box, and Coffee and Cake for four at 200 degrees Coffee!
Obviously Valentine’s day is often associated with couples, but I quite like the fact that this event is taking place during Valentine’s day, as in many ways, it helps break barriers and make it more about relationships and teamwork. Did you guys consider this when planning the event around this time?
Yes, we really wanted to make this event about celebrating friendships old and new, as well as romantic relationships. More and more people are beginning to see Valentine’s day as an opportunity to celebrate all of the people we love in our lives, and we wanted to be a part of that.
Commodification has also been a central part of Valentine’s Day with excessive present givings etc. Do you think this event also help transfer the centrality of capitalism towards giving back instead? If so, why is this a better alternative?
Yes, this event is definitely an opportunity for people to celebrate and socialise with the people they love spending time with, without spending money on material things. As well as the money going to a great cause rather than a multinational business, this event provides people with the opportunity to do something different and really fun to celebrate their friendships and relationships.
Edited by Nicole Swain