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Keele Key Fund
Now in its 16th year , the Keele Key Fund invests annually in creative , innovative and extraordinary projects that have a positive impact on the student community .
Almost £ 380,000 has so far enabled 120 projects , with countless beneficiaries across our whole Keele community since it began in 2007 . Here are some of the projects which took place in 2023 .
Keele Community Meals
In an effort to support students experiencing the hike in prices during the cost-of-living crisis , an elected officer at Keele SU led a project to provide nutritious meal kits for students to cook and share with friends - limited cooking skills required !
The team made 120 meal kits ( vegetarian curry , stir-fry , and mixed bean chilli ), with each kit offering four servings , and 60 snack packs too – and all flew off the table in minutes . With these numbers in mind , up to 540 students were positively impacted by the project ; students learned how to cook nutritious meals and were able to enjoy a free meal without having to spend their own money on expensive ingredients during the cost-of-living crisis .
“ I want to thank the Keele Key Fund donors who gave myself and the SU the opportunity to run the Keele Community Meals project to help students learn how to cook and support them during the cost-of-living crisis . The project was lots of work ; however , it was a great experience leading it and seeing the positive impact from it . All 120 meal kits and 60 snack packs were gone within 30 minutes of setting up our stall , showing the impact of the programme and the demand from students . The project has developed my own skills in teamwork , leadership , project planning and organisation , which I ’ m grateful for . Keele Community Meals has received great praise from the supermarkets we worked with , students , staff , and the local community .”
Tom Guilbert-Newell , Keele SU Elected Activities and Community Officer 2022 / 23
Earth Stories Film Festival
This student-led project invited young filmmakers aged 14-25 years to submit their work for an international film festival and competition on an environmental theme .
The Film Festival significantly exceeded hopes for engagement , with over 2,500 film submissions , and grew to a team of 45 interdisciplinary students and 7 supporting staff here at Keele .
“ Everyone involved in Earth Stories Film Festival is immensely grateful for receiving the funding and support to turn Earth Stories into a reality . Seeing the impact we have had on individuals in the local community and young filmmakers across the world has been so rewarding and couldn ’ t have been achieved without the Keele Key Fund . I have enjoyed every second of directing this festival and found it really encouraging to see other students from across the university gain as much experience and satisfaction as I have . This project has given me employability skills such as time management , meeting organisation , budget management , show hosting and presentation skills , media production , attention to detail , an awareness of environmental impact , and relationship building with other organisations and members of the local community .”
Aaliyah Gibbings-Gardner , Director , Earth Stories Film Festival ( and Keele Media with Sociology student )
“ Earth Stories is exactly the kind of initiative that ’ s needed to encourage and inspire young people to take action on environmentalism . Being a part of the festival has been incredibly special . I ’ ve had the pleasure of working with many incredibly talented individuals and have been so fortunate to see immense creative talent from filmmakers , internationally . It ’ s opened my eyes to the possibilities of campaigning for change - there are people willing and ready to take action on the issues that matter .”
Emily Stevenson , Assistant Director ( and Keele English Literature student )
The project leads went on to win the ‘ Entrepreneurial Student of the Year Award ’ at the Breaking the Mould Awards 2023 .
Thanks to the generosity of alumni donors Chris Ensor ( Applied Social Studies & Sociology and Social Anthropology , Class of 1973 ) and his wife , Val Ensor , the Earth Stories Film Festival is running again in 2024 and 2025 with plans for even more community engagement and innovation .