UWE Students’ Union has achieved a silver award in their ‘Be a Champion’ accreditation scheme. This project aims to ensure that students are given the chance to make the most of the opportunities arising from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Students’ Unions across the country took part in the programme and it was seen as a great opportunity to showcase Surrey’s commitment to the Olympics and spread the word about our successes.

The accreditation itself was assessed on evidence collated by the project leader and UWE Students’ Union VP Sports, Ariana A Sefre ‘I compiled a document explaining how UWE demonstrated the criteria. This document was accompanied by supporting evidence. The criteria was mainly centred on 6 months' commitment to core Olympic values (Striving, Determination, Friendship, Peace/Unity, Fair play, Optimism, Respect and Inspiration). Another criterion was that we ran a project which had gained the Olympic Inspire Mark; that project was ‘My Culture’ (www.mycultureuwe.blogspot.com) .’

When asked about the benefits of taking part in the scheme, Ariana explained ‘We have gained greater links with the NUS; showcasing ourselves on a national stage and standing alongside other top Unions with regard to Olympic commitment.’

Following the Union’s success in achieving silver status, the next step is to build on this and aim for gold status in June. This would be a fantastic achievement as ‘This would sit us among the top very few Unions who have achieved Gold’ says Ariana.