University of Bath School of Management students are working hard to help local charities and not-for-profit organisations in an initiative sponsored by Bath-based FTSE 250 engineer Rotork.

In the Rotork Community Challenge, 8 local charities have set tasks which need to be completed by March. The results of each project, which solve a specific operational issue, fundraising ask, or campaign requirement at each charity, will be judged by business and management experts. Around 55 School of Management students have signed up to the Challenge and the winning team will receive a donation from Rotork for their project’s charity.

The 8 charities are: Genesis Trust, Off The Record, Julian House, Gist Cancer UK, Medical Detection Dogs, Send A Cow, and First Steps.

“The Rotork Community Challenge benefits local charities but also brings School of Management students together, fostering their teamworking, planning, leadership and project management skills, and encouraging them to feel part of the wider Bath community,” said Jo Parry, Student Experience Officer.

“We’re delighted to be involved in this collaboration with the University of Bath and helping local charities,” said Julius Rich, Rotork's Communications Director. Rotork is a FTSE250 global flow control and instrumentation company.

The challenges include creating a virtual soup lunch campaign, a virtual ‘Hide and Seek’ game, a fitness challenge, virtual balloon and duck races, developing marketing and promotional material to encourage charity support, and advising how to engage remotely with potential business partners effectively.

“I really enjoy working with the annual Rotork challenge. This year I helped source the charities that the student groups are working with. I am grateful for the charities’ time as I know how much it means for the students to work with high quality opportunities. The charities also greatly appreciate this opportunity as it brings a wealth of new ideas and creativity into their organizations. I look forward to seeing what our students come up with to support these amazing causes,” said Joshua Hale, Volunteer Coordinator at the university’s Students’ Union.

Last year's winning team Share & Repair established a sustainable Repair Cafe model at the University of Bath.