News

South West Hands-On Weekend

On the 29-30th April this year, the RedR South West contingent held its bi-annual Hands-On Weekend in Devon.

The weekends offer humanitarian workshops and talks, which they have been holding since 2009, when they bought together 17 Bristol University students and Black and Veatch employees. The 2017 weekend attracted students from Bristol Engineers Without Borders and University of Exeter, as well as those from RedR Patron and Corporate Partner firms, such as BuroHappold and Mott MacDonald.

Despite the rain, the weekend was a success, with participants learning about the Humanitarian sector through participating in practical workshops and listening to engaging speakers, particularly about Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in emergencies.

RedR would like to say a big thank you to Member Robert Hodgson, Gwenver Salmon, and Trustee Sally Walters for organising such an interesting weekend and raising funds and awareness for RedR. The next South West Hands-On Weekend is in September, and will be about logistics, date TBD. Get in touch if you’d like to find out when sign ups open for the next South West Weekend.

2017 Participants putting their WASH knowledge to the test
2017 Participants putting their WASH knowledge to the test

Our Hands-On Weekends provide great opportunities for participants to explore some of the complexities of humanitarian work and to learn from the first-hand experiences of experienced RedR Members, either in the formal sessions or round the bonfire later. I think all this group learned many things they did not expect - and had a great time doing it.

Robert Hodgson

RedR Member, and South West Hands-On Weekend organiser