Issue 153

RAG up your week

26th February 2007

This year's RAG week is upon us, and the RAG committee have got their heads together and have organised a whole host of events and gigs to entertain us and persuade us to part with some of our cash for worthy charites.

So what have they got planned? Well, Monday night is the night of the Slave Auction. Amongst those being auctioned off are various sports teams, the RAG committee, the Sabb's and the cheerleaders.

You will be able to bid for the company of these people for the evening, and of course because it's RAG, it's all in a good cause! It looks like a great night, even if you don't want to bid for a hot date you're still bound to have an excellent time.

Monday is also Refresher's Fayre, in the dining rooms of Fulton House, so you can go up and join RAG (or any other society you missed during Fresher's Fayre). On Tuesday RAG will be dressing up in very silly costumes to 'Gnome' people.

What is 'Gnoming', we hear you ask? Gnoming is really very simple. You donate some money to RAG and you nominate a person. Your Gnome will follow this person around and irritate them, chasing them everywhere, into lectures, at lunch, and won't stop until the person you picked beats your donation! It's a win-win situation: you get a laugh, and help RAG earn even more money for their causes at the same time.

In the evening RAG will be at Woody's in the Hendrefoelan Student Village for 'Deal or No Deal' and Karaoke. The fun will be starting at eight.

If you're out on Wind Street on Wednesday night, you might well run into RAG who will be collecting everywhere and anywhere for their good causes. If you see them, don't forget to dig deep and put some money in the tin.

Thursday is, of course, St. David's Day. To mark this, RAG have organised an allday music event in JC's. There will be lots of other societies there to hang out with, and live bands as well as always popular face painting and lucky dip! The main event on Thursday is the muchanticipated dRAGonload, happening from 7.30pm in DV8. It's going to be a massive live music event with seven live bands, including the winners of last year's Battle of the bands, Decadent Smile, Illegal Amigos and Stanley Band.

Headlining will be Kali Mist and Midsund. The Alternative Music Society, the Live Music Society and ENTS are bringing this to you in conjunction with RAG, so it should be a great night. You can buy tickets for this event from the box office for £3, or just buy on the door (but you'll have to pay a pound more).

Friday night is a Childhood Memories themed Tooters night at DV8. Come along and dress up as your favourite character from kids TV or maybe your childhood hero.

Sunday doesn't escape the RAG treatment either as the team finish off the week by heading to Woody's again for the pub quiz.

RAG raises money for twenty different charities. Every year the charities are democratically voted in.

This year's selection includes Nightline, The Children's Trust, Diabetes UK, St. John's Ambulance and Swansea Mind. Many of the charities are local and small, and RAG has this year raised more than ever, beating last year's total by holding the Beer Race alone. They don't have a target for this RAG week, they just want to raise "as much as possible!" says Bex Parr, President of RAG.

She added, "a lot of the events are completely new, and something like dRAGonload I would like to see continuing for years to come." Regular RAG events have been well-received so far this year, and the enthusiasm of the committee and the members of RAG (known as 'Raggies') has shone through and helped them smash all the targets, even surprising themselves sometimes.

However, there's plenty more to do, and the great causes that are benefiting are definitely worthy of everything RAG can raise.

Bex encourages everyone to make the effort to come out and have a good time this RAG week, saying "Come along, get involved and do your bit for charity!"

Multitasking at its best - enjoying yourself and raising money for charity.

Charlie Duff