It’s time for the winter break and just like you, our SU staff are taking some time away to enjoy the festive season and recharge for the New Year! This means that SU staff will not be available to respond to enquiries during closing hours and any messages sent during this time will be responded to once we return after the holidays.
The different departments of the SU are closing for the festive break and reopening in the New Year at varying dates and times. Please familiarise yourself with the different SU closures times and ensure you get in touch with any departments before they shut.
Click here for the most up-to-date information on UPSU closing times during winter vacation.
*Please note that these dates and times are subject to change, however, we will update this page as frequently as possible to ensure you have the correct information.
Important: If you need to make any appeals for coursework or exams to our SU Advice department, please submit these before midday on the 20th of December 2023. Any appeals made after this time will not be dealt with until the New Year.
Find support for mental wellbeing over the holidays:
It’s okay if you’re not feeling merry over the winter break…
Although the festive season is associated with fun and joy, it can often be a challenging time for people, for many different reasons. Student Space run by Student Minds’ can help to support students over the winter break through 24/7 support from dedicated staff and by sharing information, tools, and articles that may be helpful and relevant to students.
Please keep in mind that the Student Mind’s winter closure is from the 16th of December to the 3rd of January, and you will be unable to get in touch with someone from their team during this period. You will, however, be able to continue to access resources and support articles on their website 24/7. Visit the Student Mind’s website here.
- SU Advice self-help resources
During term time, our SU Advice team are here to support you on a variety of issues and challenges that you may face during your time at university either in person, over the phone, or via email. Our Advice team will not be reachable over the winter break (closing on the 21st of December and reopening on the 8th January), however, you can find a variety of practical, self-help resources on the SU Advice page on our SU website, including on the topic of wellbeing. You can also find links to external websites that provide self-help resources and suggestions for apps to download which support mental wellbeing.
You can also find tips on mindfulness practices, as well as suggestions for student apps and podcasts to download to support mental wellbeing here.
- University of Plymouth online wellbeing resources
The University of Plymouth provides a selection of online self-help resources for University of Plymouth students via the Student Portal to support your emotional, physical, social and financial wellbeing. Online self-help resources offer you easy and immediate access to information and support tools, they can be accessed anytime from anywhere making it easy for you to seek information whenever you need it.
The University of Plymouth has partnered with Togetherall—a safe, online, peer-to-peer 24/7 global community moderated by clinical professionals to help individuals take control of their mental health anonymously through a wealth of resources and self-help courses for free. Find out more about the Togetherall service and available support over Christmas here.
- Urgent support services open 24/7 during the winter break:
If you need to speak to someone urgently about your mental wellbeing over the winter break, including on Christmas Day, the following support services are available to contact 24/7 for anyone in crisis:
Remember: If you or someone is in immediate danger, your local police force will be able to help you 24/7, 365 days a year.
Where to go if you find yourself unable to afford food over the holidays:
- Students’ Union Community Larder
The Community Larder will be open inside the Students’ Union until Thursday 21st December.
The ongoing success of this initiative relies on donations from staff, students, and local businesses. If you are in a position to donate towards the Community Larder, we would greatly appreciate any donations, big or small. You can find a list of items needed for the Community Larder here.
On Friday 22nd of December, the food parcels will be distributed from the University of Plymouth Student Hub, located inside the Charles Seale-Hayne Library (campus library).
Please note: These food parcels are made available for students who are in need and are not open for collection on a first come, first serve basis. To find out more about the Community Larder and how to access food parcels through a referral system, please click here.
- Accessing food in Plymouth once the SU and University have closed for winter break:
The Plymouth Food Aid Network has a Community Food Access map with all the different charities, community groups, and organisations who are able to support people living in Plymouth by providing food.
You can find information on how to access food via the Food Plymouth guide here.
Supported by The Trussell Trust, Plymouth Foodbank can provide local people in need with three days’ worth of food. Please note: You will need to have a referral to get a food bank voucher to access this.
You may want to consider downloaded the Too Good To Go app, which allows people in the area to purchase a discounted bag of unsold food from local shops and eateries.
If you are on a tight budget with meals, Transforming Plymouth Together has shared some useful budget recipes and cooking tips.
You may also want to check out the following links for additional places to access food and essentials for anyone at crisis point:
Advice for students who are sitting exams or have coursework deadlines early in the new year…
Revision is likely one of the last things many students will want to be doing during the holidays, however, providing you are organised and don’t leave everything to the last minute, you can still enjoy yourself during the holidays and get some much-needed chillout time, whilst also being prepared for your January assessments.
You can read our top tips for how to balance revision with enjoying some relaxation during the festive break here.
- University of Plymouth Digital Skills Support
You can find the Digital Skills Support webpage on the University of Plymouth website which provides resources, tools, and technologies to support students in the development of digital skills and capabilities. There is a section on how to navigate the Student Portal, enhancing Microsoft Outlook skills, and how to use your University ID for printing.
There is also information and guidance to support students who are studying at home, which may be useful to anyone who is revising for exams or working on assignments during the winter break.
You can also find tools and technologies to support research, including software which helps you to keep track of references you discover through the course of your research, software to help you to record notes and track your deadlines, and tools to help you create, deploy, and analyse online surveys specifically designed for academic research.
You may also find the following links helpful when it comes to studying tips and advice on how to stay calm before sitting exams:
Advice for those staying in Plymouth student accommodation during the winter break:
If you are a student who is staying at your University accommodation during the winter break, please take some time to read our practical advice about getting prepared and ensuring you have what you need, as well as keeping household costs down, keeping yourself warm over winter, and staying safe. Read this article here.
You may also want to check out the following links to find events taking place during Plymouth:
Advice for students who are leaving Plymouth and spending Christmas elsewhere:
If you are travelling home for the winter break, please ensure you make yourself aware of train strikes, road works and diversions, and flight delays or cancellations. You can read our SU Advice team’s tips for travelling home for the holidays here.
You can also check out the following articles by Student Minds’:
Support for students who may feel lonely over the winter break:
With much of the student community leaving their accommodation over holidays and returning back to their homes before university life, suddenly going from being surrounding by your peers to perhaps spending a lot of time alone could be challenging for some students.
It is important to try and say connected over the winter break with your peers, or with your family members if you are a student staying in your university accommodation during the holidays. Whether you keep in contact via a group chat, regular video calls, or are able to arrange to meet with one another in person; it is important to not isolate yourself, or anyone else for that matter.
You could also consider joining our volunteer SU Winter Buddies during the festive break and get involved with free or low-cost activities and events to help students keep in touch and combat loneliness and isolation this winter. If you would like to know more about the SU Winter Buddy Scheme click here, or get in touch with us: buddyscheme@su.plymouth.ac.uk (please be aware of our winter break closing times and get in touch with staff before departments close).
- Finding your community at university
If you are feeling a sense of loneliness at university or are struggling to form friendships since moving to Plymouth, you may want to consider reading the following articles for suggestions on how to form new connections with peers:
We wish you all a wonderful winter break!
Please remember to be kind to yourself and those around you. If you are in crisis and need support, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the support services mentioned in this article, including urgent support for mental wellbeing from one of the 24/7 charities.
We can’t wait to see you all again in the New Year!