Skip to main navigation Skip to main content
Home
  • About us
    • Introducing UUK
    • Our members
    • Careers
      • Vacancies
      • What it's like to work at UUK
      • An inclusive, diverse place to work
    • Our history
    • People
    • Governance, annual reports and accounts
      • Articles of Association
      • Our Board
      • Membership criteria
      • Annual reports and accounts
    • Who we work with
    • Our home: Woburn House
  • Topics
    • Teaching, learning and quality
      • Quality and standards
      • Regulation
      • Ways of learning
      • Working with employers
      • Freedom of speech
    • Funding, finance and operations
      • Security and risk
      • University funding
      • Pensions
    • Impact of universities
      • Communities and social responsibility
      • Discoveries, inventions and global challenges
      • Skills and economy
      • Transforming people’s lives
    • Research and innovation
      • Innovation and big ideas
      • Knowledge exchange
      • Research and funding
      • Research standards, ethics and culture
    • Health and wellbeing
      • Mental health
      • Suicide prevention
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
      • Improving social mobility
      • Opportunities after graduation
      • Safe and inclusive campuses
      • Student success
    • Students
      • Admissions
      • Student finance
      • Student support
      • Student voices and experiences
    • Climate and sustainability
    • International
      • International experience and mobility
      • International research collaboration
      • International staff and students
      • Transnational education
      • Ukraine
  • What we do
    • Policy and research
      • Policy: an overview
      • Publications
      • Policy & Research team
    • Supporting our members
      • What we do for our members
      • Member benefits
      • Supporting vice-chancellors
      • Members' meetings and conference
      • Specialist Institutions Forum
      • Member services team
    • Creating a voice for our members
      • An overview
      • Campaigns
        • #TwinForHope
          • The campaign
          • Background
          • Our impact
        • Getting Results
          • About the campaign
          • Levelling up
          • The analysis behind the campaign
          • Case studies
        • Made At Uni
          • About the campaign
          • Climate Action
          • Creative Sparks
          • Energising Places
        • Our past campaigns
          • We Are Together
          • Support study abroad
      • Events
        • Speak at our events
        • Sponsorship
        • Events team
      • Media releases
      • Media team
      • Communications team
    • International
    • Work in parliament
      • Political affairs: an overview
      • All-Party Parliamentary University Group
      • Parliamentary briefings and submissions
      • Political Affairs Network
  • Latest
    • News
    • Events
      • Past Events
    • Insights and analysis
    • Watch past events
  • Media
  • Events
  • International

Search

  • - Any -
  • Covid
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Funding, finance and operations
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Impact of universities
  • International
  • Research and innovation
  • Students
  • Sustainability and climate
  • Teaching, learning and quality
  • - Any -
  • UUKi Blog
  • UUKi Insights
  • Insights and analysis
  • Media releases
  • News
  • Publications
  • UUKi Publications
  • UUKi News
  • - Any -
  • Campaign
  • Event
  • Basic page
  • Profile
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • A -> Z
  • Z -> A
  • Relevance

Or browse by topic

  • Teaching, learning and quality
  • Funding, finance and operations
  • Impact of universities
  • Research and innovation
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Students
  • Climate and sustainability
  • International

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. What we do
  3. Creating a voice for our members
  4. Campaigns
  5. Our past campaigns

We Are Together

We launched #WeAreTogether in April 2020 to showcase the ways universities have helped during the Covid-19 pandemic. From vaccines to treatments, working on the frontline to supporting local communities, UK universities have played a critical role. 

Campaign highlights 

The campaign had the stories and voices of students and staff at its heart.

We reached over 60 million social media users, and over 100 universities took part by sharing their stories and messages of support. 

The campaign won ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ at the PIEoneer Awards in September 2021 and PRWeek UK Global Awards Campaign of the Year: Issues and Crisis in 2022. 

1. How universities helped the national effort  

Publication

How universities are helping fight Covid-19

This collection of stories and case studies records how UK universities responded immediately to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the UK went into lockdown, universities, their staff and students stepped up to contribute to research, offer support, and help people through the crisis. 

We published 'How universities are helping fight Covid-19' to bring together the many examples of how universities first responded to the crisis in April 2020.

Examples included: 

  • Research: Mathematical modelling work from Imperial College London helped inform both the UK and US government’s response to the pandemic, providing vital insights into the nature of the outbreak, its spread, and risk. 
  • Resources and people power: Swansea University students and staff produced 3D printed face shields to help the NHS and frontline workers. 
  • Helping people get through it: Nottingham Trent University donated all the produce from its vertical farm to help feed the homeless during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Supporting students: The University of York launched an Emergency Student Support Fund in response to the pandemic.

2. Proud to Help

Launched on 30 June 2020, Proud to Help shone a spotlight on the staff and students who went the extra mile to help others during the pandemic. 

We wanted to thank all the staff and students at UK universities who have stepped up, volunteered, fundraised, and so much more during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

You can find more of the stories we shared on our Youtube channel and in our Facebook gallery. 

Katie Dixon in her uniform at work

Katie Dixon, a nursing student from Birmingham City University set up a volunteering group to help vulnerable members of her community.

Floyd in his Kitchen with crossed arms holding two food delivery boxes

Floyd Haughton, a student at Cardiff Metropolitan University gifted hearty Jamaican inspired meals to key workers

4 volunteers stand in front of the visors they have helped create

Paul Josse, a Technical Manager at Brunel University London tirelessly led a project to 3D-print thousands of face shields.

Obinna Okeke stands proudly in front of the ambulance he now works in.

Obinna Okeke from the University of Hertfordshire finished his placement and joined the London Ambulance Service.

Mominul Hamid standing in a Newcastle street holding up a thank you card.

Md Mominul Hamid helped his community by delivering essential provisions to homes across Newcastle and Gateshead on his bike.

The volunteers from Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts standing together facing the camera

Lewis McLachlan, a student from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh launched 'Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts', to prepare free meals for those in need around Edinburgh.

Dr Patrick in his paramedic uniform looking at the camera

Dr David Fitzpatrick, a health sciences lecturer at University of Stirling’s returned to frontline healthcare duties in the Scottish Ambulance Service.

3. National Graduates Day 

In July 2020, we celebrated National Graduates Day to celebrate the class of 2020, while promoting the skills, qualifications and experience that graduates gain from studying at university. 

Celebrities, politicians and business leaders took to social media to congratulate graduates and reassure them that their experience and qualifications are needed now more than ever.

4: #WeAreTogether2021

March 2021 marked a year since the pandemic began. We launched a final phase of the campaign to show how university staff and students were continuing to go ‘above and beyond’ for local communities and in their research efforts.

Students across the country are volunteering to support the UK’s vaccine programme. @cardiffuni student Nkosi, who trained with @SJACymru, is finding the role “incredibly rewarding”. #WeAreTogether pic.twitter.com/Q3ZrnW0JKl

— Universities UK (@UniversitiesUK) March 5, 2021

WeAreTogether: international 

The international strand of the #WeAreTogether campaign was created to provide reassurance and support to prospective EU and international students to continue with their plans to study with a UK university.

Sharing student voices 

The campaign was student-led, with current international students giving their honest views on their experience of studying at a UK university during the pandemic. The campaign delivered more than 100 student testimony videos, achieving more than 22 million video views in total.

We shared these videos to the WeAreTogether Instagram page as well as individual university social media pages.

The results

From a survey of more than 2,000 prospective international students, 67% said that #WeAreTogether had made them feel more confident to continue their plans to study in the UK.

Our past campaigns

  • We Are Together
  • Support study abroad

Share

  • Tweet this
  • Share on facebook
  • Share linkedin

Related

12 August 2021 Publications
12 August 2021 Publications

Universities and the UK’s economic recovery: an analysis of future impact

A report by the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE) on universities future impact as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Back to top
Home

Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square,
London, WC1H 9HQ
-
+44(0)20 7419 4111
info@universitiesuk.ac.uk

  • About us
    • Introducing UUK
    • Our members
    • Careers
    • Our history
    • People
    • Governance, annual reports and accounts
    • Who we work with
    • Our home: Woburn House
  • Topics
    • Teaching, learning and quality
    • Funding, finance and operations
    • Impact of universities
    • Research and innovation
    • Health and wellbeing
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Students
    • Climate and sustainability
    • International
  • What we do
    • Policy and research
    • Supporting our members
    • Creating a voice for our members
    • International
    • Work in parliament
  • Latest
    • News
    • Events
    • Insights and analysis
    • Watch past events
  • Contact us
  • Privacy notice
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility
  • Newsletter

© Copyright Universities UK

Universities UK registered Charity No. 1001127. A Company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales Company No. 2517018.
Registered Office: Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HQ

  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on Facebook

Site by Effusion