‘Leon gets up and goes into the kitchen. It isn’t Saturday. It isn’t Christmas and his room is very untidy, so why’s he’s getting a Curly Wurly is a mystery’

Chapter 9, Page 46

We hope you’re all settling in here at Hallam and enjoying the ‘Big Read’

Becoming a student can be extremely exciting but we understand it can also be tough

If you find that you’re struggling with any aspect of University life, visit the support page on our LibGuide here

Although we all love our treats like Leon, make sure you’re getting a balanced diet too, our library has cookbooks with a wide range of recipes if you are stuck for ideas!  

Once you’ve found your recipe, you can work out the cheapest way to buy your ingredients with the Student’s Union’s handy  shopping list

Here you can also view a list of all catering outlets at Hallam to decide where you can go to treat yourself and where you can go to find healthier options

Or, how about joining the Students’ Union Food and Nutrition Society here, there’s a launch event on the 8th October at 5pm in the Cantor Lecture Theatre

But of course, your Health and Wellbeing doesn’t rely on food alone, below are some useful links to support with other aspects of uni life you may be struggling with

Finance – here’s a link to some useful FAQs regarding Student Finance and budgeting, including information on the budgeting tool BlackBullion, from the Students’ Union. There’s more funding support on MyHallam too

Housing – A guide giving answers to some general housing FAQs including answers to Council Tax queries and even house repairs!

In addition, to combat some of these stresses, we have lots of ways you can de-stress and find support

Big White Wall – An anonymous online community where you can receive support if you find yourself struggling

Mindfulness – The Students’ Union offer various activities related to Mindfulness, here is a link to a volunteering opportunity to teach Mindfulness in schools

5 Ways to Wellbeing – Five ways that you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing

October is also very important in our Big Read journey as it marks Black History Month in the UK

Within ‘My Name is Leon’ Leon’s racial identity is developed and explored in various different ways, from Maureen telling him that Jake got adopted ‘because he’s a white baby and you’re not’ (Chapter 9, Page 47) to Tufty teaching him about ‘Black Power’ and reggae music (Chapter 23, Page 125) – our LibGuide contains literature by BAME authors and works that were released in 1981, the authors featured include: Benjamin Zephaniah, Toni Morrison and Bell Hooks, you can find it here

You can also see what our Students’ Union is doing to mark the occasion here

Note: Some events are ticketed so be quick if you want to attend!