糖心原创

The 糖心原创 Excellence Awards recognise the individuals and teams whose work makes a lasting difference to our students, researchers, colleagues, campuses and wider communities.

Behind each nomination is a story - of leadership, kindness, innovation, resilience, and commitment to making a difference. The strength and breadth of nominations have once again shown just how much our students and researchers contribute to the life of the university and to one another. From those who go above and beyond in their studies, to those making meaningful changes in their communities, every nomination represents something truly special.

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated!

2026 award winners

Change Maker award

Minahil Fansur is a 3rd Year Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence student. She designed and delivered the AI and Computing Club at Park Vale Academy in Nottingham, a school with a low-income catchment area.

Danny Donnelly is an Adult Nursing student. He is a carer, and a national advocate and champion of young carers and young adult carers. Danny is Co-Chair of the Student Carer Working Group, and was Co-Chair of an All-Party Parliamentary Group inquiry into Removing Barriers to Higher Education, Employment and Training for young carers and young adult carers.

Georgina Shajan is a fifth year Medic who established the Practice Patients podcast for medical students and played a key role in setting up the Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust Youth Impact Board, which focuses on mental health and gives young people and families a voice in how services are designed.

Charlotte Bruce is a fourth year Vet student who developed a comprehensive database of exotic species and opportunities for students to get placements in wildlife and zoo environments – an essential part of their training but previously hard to identify and access.

Enhancing Campus Experience

Ria Bansal is a fifth year Medicine student. She established DogSoc, which has more than 500 members who enjoy taking dogs on weekly walks. DogSoc also brings dogs into halls to help first year students settle in during wobble weeks. As Welfare Officer and then President for Medsoc she introduced free breakfasts for her fellow students over the exam season. She also led national campaign involving the GMC and the Medical Schools Council to reduce sexism and sexual based violence in medical schools and on placements.

The Black Sports Collective delivers a structured programme of sporting, cultural, and social activity designed to improve access to sport and build a stronger sense of belonging for Black students. Accepting the award on behalf of the Black Sport Collective are Dalanda Bah, Edwin Kwakye, Kelechi Ambros, Wesley Nosa, Nana Oppong, Debora Mafoa, and Derrick Osaze.

Rose Moorhouse is a final Year, Philosophy and Psychology student who is a student ambassador who stepped up to take ownership of engagement with international students, helping them settle in and delivering a targeted programme to support their transition to life in Nottingham.

Ben Wright managed to combine being a 3rd Year Chemistry student with volunteering as an IMS Football Executive - helping deliver competitive football to thousands of UoN students each week. With over 130 football teams registered, it’s one of the largest student-led sports programmes in the country.

Community Engagement

Vets in the Community are student vets who provide free care at a weekly drop-in clinic for the pets of homeless and vulnerably housed people in Nottingham. Accepting the award on behalf of Vets in the Community are Lauren Zulfiker, Ben Scawn, Alice Middleton, Kitty Donnelly, Katie Hall, and Fiona Dorling.

UoN Co-Responders are healthcare students who are trained by East Midlands Ambulance Service to respond to 999 calls on their behalf, and have attended to thousands of patients in the community. Accepting the award on behalf of the 糖心原创 Co-Responders are Philip Burns, Tereza Littova, and Jack Cahill.

Zoe Laver is a 3rd Year Geography student and Community Engagement Ambassador. She engages with local residents and students in communities such as Lenton, promoting responsible behaviour and goodwill with our neighbours, and helping our students live safely and sustainably.

Contribution to volunteering

Lucy Smith is a third year Psychology student. Lucy is coordinator of Nottingham Nightline, a student-run listening service, and oversees all of its 100-plus volunteers. Lucy also opened a Girlguiding Brownie group in Beeston and served as an elected trustee for Student Scout and Guide Organisation.

Harvey Cooper is first year Liberal Arts student who has gone above and beyond to enhance accessible sporting opportunities for his peers. He independently completed a Boccia Leaders course and worked proactively with the Disability Sport Ambassador to establish and deliver fortnightly Boccia sessions with disabled students. He also liaised directly with Boccia England to secure a free set of equipment.

Sexpression Nottingham has delivered relationships and sex education sessions to almost 600 students aged 14 to 18 in Nottinghamshire, covering topics including STIs and contraception, healthy relationships, spotting signs of abuse and the effects of pornography on young people. Accepting the award on behalf of Sexpression Nottingham are Carolina Neto, Hannah June Whitehead, Gladys Yan Tung Poon, Aimee Pettit, Araloluwa Abikoye, and Sreeya Sengupta.

Grace Sharp is a second year Education student with an impressive track record as a mentor and leader. She volunteers with Sport for Good Nottingham working with young pupils to build life skills through engagement with sport, and with the Empower Leaders Outreach Programme supports secondary school pupils in delivering mentoring sessions to younger girls.

The NAMI Group: Celia Rocton, Benjamin Denison, Melissa WhitePhD researchers Celia Rocton, Benjamin Denison and Melissa White are members of NAMI - the Nottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces group - and as well as working towards developing sustainable energy solutions, they find the time to engage the next generation of innovators and STEM students, delivering outreach programmes in schools, colleges, and communities. 

Inspiring Student Leader

Nadim Choudhury is a Masters in Neuroscience student. Nadim is a Senior Residential Ambassador within the Residential Experience or ResX team, which supports students from the day they arrive to the day they leave. The team look to Nadim for leadership, guidance and reassurance. He’s directly contributed to team cohesion, better performance, and increased confidence during busy or complex events.

Jai-Sai Mehta is a third year politics student who is the Inter Mural Sport Chair for the current academic year and his mission is to create a space where anyone can get involved in sport, regardless of experience or ability. Jai-Sai’s dedication helps create opportunities for thousands of our students to enjoy competitive sport every week.

Emma Stoner is a third year Liberal Arts student, badminton player and Para Sport Scholar who has represented UoN at university, national and international level. She’s a driving force within the Para Sport Collective, offering invaluable peer support to disabled students. Emma has played a pivotal role in helping others build confidence, navigate university life and feel a true sense of belonging.

Adedayo Dada is in the final year of her PhD with the Sustainable Hydrogen Centre for Doctoral Training. She’s demonstrated exceptional leadership in transforming the Women in STEM Conference and Careers Event into one of the most impactful student-led initiatives supporting representation and research visibility at the 糖心原创.

Outstanding Student Placement

Anna Milnes is a 3rd year Psychology student. Anna had a placement at John Eastwood Hospice with the clinical psychology team, who support end of life patients with complex psychological and emotional needs. She applied theoretical knowledge from her studies to offer a fresh psychological perspective and communication strategy on issues staff were facing.

Bethany Lenton is a Genetics Masters student who excelled during her placement in the Clinical Genomics department of the Royal Marsden Hospital. Bethany demonstrated outstanding personal development, working independently in a lab environment, conducting diagnostic tests on patient samples and was highly supportive during a period of short staffing.

Grace Macmillan is a third year International Media and Communication student and on Placement with the consumer health company Kenvue managed the Heron Foods account, doubling net monthly sales. Grace also led on charitable donations, with £466,000 worth of Kenvue products donated to 945 UK charities.

Henry Clement Muhirwa is a third year Mechanical Engineering student. As a Wing Structure Design Intern at Airbus, he identified a gap in knowledge sharing among early-career engineers. He invited experienced engineers and specialists to deliver talks to plug this gap and the skills programme Henry designed continues to support Airbus interns, graduates and apprentices.

Taeshayla Copage is a Pharmacology student and during her placement at GSK Ware as a Quality Laboratory Analyst made significant contributions to continuous improvement in testing the quality and safety of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Taeshayla also organised career workshops, coordinated talks from senior leaders, and supporting peer learning as a development lead for the Disability Conference Network.

Contribution to Sustainability

Conservation and Nature Society helps bring UoN’s Biodiversity Action Plan to life – such as by planting hundreds of trees across our campuses. They’ve also raised awareness of our campus bat population, cleared litter and led guided walks at Attenborough Nature Reserve. Accepting the award on behalf of the ConSoc are Orla Harris, Ezrah Price-Robinson, Sian Lilienfeld , Alistair Tiplady, Grace Butcher, Belen Berkmen, and Scott Froggatt.