RAG Week 2015 gets off to a 'flipping' good start

by Jon Narcross

10 February 2015

Imperial RAG Week kicked off in style today as students and staff enjoyed pancakes by the Queen's Lawn at the annual RAG Launch event.

The RAG Week Launch featured live music and speeches from Imperial’s President Alice Gast and RAG Chair Ben Fernando to officially begin the week’s activities. Afterwards Professor Gast and other members of the College’s Executive team cooked pancakes which were available to buy in exchange for a small donation to the RAG Week fund.

RAG Week Launch

RAG Chair Ben Fernando (Department of Physics) said: “We are absolutely delighted at how successful the RAG Week launch was and we’re really excited for our plans for the week ahead. It's great to have so much student and staff support for all of the events we’ve got planned. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, so please come down if you can.”

This year’s RAG bungee challenge will be running over two days (Monday – Tuesday) providing more opportunities to take the 175ft plunge. Walk-up tickets are still available for £35 from the RAG Tent on the Queen’s lawn and if jumping isn’t your thing cage rides are also available for £5.

Eva Coles takes a leap for RAG Week

Eva Coles (Department of Life Sciences) was on of Monday’s first jumpers: “I’ve never done a bungee jump before but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try. That feeling of weightlessness as you fall, it really feels like you’re flying.”

“I’d definitely do it again, I’ve done cliff diving before this but I think a sky dive is the next thing on my list.”

It's great to have so much student and staff support for all of the events we’ve got planned.

– Ben Fernando

RAG Chair

As well as the bungee jump there will be a range of other activities for staff and students to get involved in across the week.

For the first time RAG Week will feature a Firewalk event on Thursday where participants walk along a path of hot embers burning at a temperature of around 500 degrees Celsius. Other highlights include the Valentines Ball on Thursday evening, this weekend's RAG Mega-Raid in Oxford and the annual Jailbreak event, held on the 28 February, in which student teams are given 36 hours to get as far away from the College as possible without spending any money.

All the money raised this year will go to RAG’s nominated charities; MAG - The Mines Advisory Group, St Mungo’s Broadway and Tiny Tickers with RAG hoping to raise £10,000 throughout the week adding to the £20,000 already raised since the beginning of term.

To find out more about all the RAG Week events or to make a donation visit the RAG Week website.

For all the latest RAG week news and updates follow @ImperialRAG and @ImperialCollege on Twitter or visit the ICU Rag page on Facebook.

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