And the winners are...

For students who go the extra-mile during their time as a student in making an important contribution to the Union of Students and representing the interests of Derby students on a regular basis, there is no higher honour awarded than Honorary Life Membership to the Union of Students.

A little while ago, a link went out for students to nominate who they thought had made a real impact on students' lives through their work with the Union and who thoroughly deserved being awarded Honorary Life Membership. We were flooded with nominations which, although making it a tough task to decide who was to be awarded, is a real testament to how many fantastic students we have who contribute amazing things to the Union of Students.  

Last night, the nominations were taken to a special meeting at the end of Scrutiny Panel, where elected representatives of the Union considered the merits of each nomination before finally deciding the four most deserving.

With Honorary Life Membership, members are continued to be entitled to become a member of any Union Sports Club or Union Society, participate in the Union’s organised events, and use the Union’s bars and clubs at the discretion of the organising committees or license holders - all after they have concluded their studies and are no longer a student. Honorary Life Members also get a vote at the Annual General Meeting.

As well as our wonderful students, all outgoing Officer Trustees are also automatically nominated to receive Honorary Life Membership to the Union due to their incredible contributions whilst governing the Union.

So, without further ado, we are very pleased to announce that the students awarded Honorary Life Membership this year are:

• Billy Baker
• Eryk Gadomski
• Sue Springall
• Alexander Wood

And the outgoing Officer Trustees who were also awarded:

• Jacob Blatherwick
• Scarlet Moss
• Abby Wilson

A huge congratulations to those four incredible, hard-working and dedicated students and our amazing Officer Trustees. What a fantastic year it has been at the Union of Students and what fantastic things have happened - and so much of that is thanks to the wonderful people such as our new Honorary Life Members who give so much of their time and energy to the Union, the students and to improving student life throughout the year. 

So, if you have contributed to the Union of Students, in big ways or small, we want to sincerely thank you for your time and remember, Honorary Life Membership is awarded annually - so make sure you nominate all those hard-workers again next year!