Last week, the sabbatical officer team visited Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe to attend the Southern Unions Conference 2026. Across the three day event, we attended sessions on a wide range of themes, including talks on the cost-of-living crisis, student rights, neurodiversity and mental health, and building supportive communities for students.
In addition to the sessions, the conference also gave us the opportunity to connect with fellow sabbatical officers across the south of the country, from Universities such as Brighton, Chichester, Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes, and Portsmouth. This allowed us to really get to know how other Students’ Unions operate, discussing best practices, sharing ideas and giving advice to fellow sabbatical officers on how to best support students during their time at university.
The conference also provided an opportunity to showcase what projects we’re currently working on, highlighting key SU events such as our Sports and Societies awards, Culture Fest, destress fests, and many more.
As we head back into the office, we’re full of new ideas as to how we can better our Students' Union to make sure students are getting the best support possible.