"Today we are ending an extraordinary year in an extraordinary union. When we were elected in February, we never could have imagined what our sabb year would look like. Indeed, if we had known what it would go on to involve, there is every chance we would have bailed.

Although we’ve been really sad to miss so many opportunities to meet you all in person, and so many of our manifesto priorities have fallen victim to Covid regulations, we’ve had an absolute blast and no two days have been the same.

We’ve run some brilliant campaigns, met amazing students and staff, and probably attended more Teams meetings than there are grains of sand on Gylly. It’s been an incredibly full on year but we couldn’t have done it on our own.

And so for that we want say thank you. Thank you to our union colleagues for supporting our mad ideas, and the plethora of staff from both universities and FX Plus who have worked with us to make change based on student feedback.

Thank you to our student representatives who have worked so hard for very little reward to make university a little bit better for everyone. Without our PTOs, Reps, and committees, we could not do our jobs and, whilst we recognised some of you at our recent awards ceremony, you’ve all been truly excellent in this strangest of years.

And most importantly, thank you to each and every student. Thank you for being here; we are so grateful to you all for everything that your bring to our campuses.

As we return to studying (Amelia) and start a job with structure (Cara) we do so with a greater understanding and appreciation of all the different components of a fabulous student experience than if we had not done this year. We wish the new team of Charlotte, Ben, Ellie and Stevie the best of luck as they begin their year and can’t wait to see what they achieve."

- Cara and Amelia

"Although I’m not leaving this year, it has been an absolute pleasure working with the outgoing Presidents and tackling a very different and challenging year together with students! From being the first all-female SU President team, to spending most of our term in online meetings, I couldn't have asked for a better team to navigate these challenges with.

I've got my fingers crossed that next year we will be delivering more in-person activities, supporting students face-to-face, as well as being a lot less centric to all things relating to the pandemic. On the flip side, I am excited to be working with a bunch of fresh new faces in the new team, who also have a bunch of exciting opportunities for students brewing on the horizon!"

- Charlotte

Keep an eye on our socials as we officially introduce the new faces on Monday.