Lancs singles: Here are the events you can get involved with this Valentine’s Day

Speed dating, baking, and ‘Take Me Out’: what a time to be single on Valentine’s Day


Being single can be rough. Being single on Valentine’s Day during a pandemic? That can be a whole new level of feeling lonely. Luckily, The Lancaster Tab has found a host of virtual events available for those who want to try something new and have fun being single. Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples.

Speed dating

Do you wish you could have someone to go on socially distanced dates with? What about the opportunity to meet new people outside of your group chats? If so, then the Valentine’s Speed Dating Event is here to help. LU Barnardo’s, LU Amnesty international and Lancaster Junior Lawyers Against Poverty have come together to make a collaborative speed dating event for Lancaster students.

This event replicates a typical “speed dating” type event and offers you the perfect opportunity to meet new people from the comfort of your own bedroom. All you have to do is buy a ticket, using your uni email, and fill in the application form, and the societies will pair you with a number of potential “dates”. These dates can include friends or romantic partners, so anyone can take part.

Tickets cost £3.50 per person, with all proceeds going to brilliant charitable causes: Barnardo’s, Amnesty International and the Lawyers Against Poverty Fund. The event is Friday 12th February from 7pm to 8:30pm. Come along for a bit of fun. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet the right person – friend or partner.

The link to buy tickets to the event is here. Once you buy a ticket, you will be sent the application form. Book your tickets now!

Cooking for love

Wanting to try your hand at a new dish? Think you can impress a potential partner with your culinary skills? Look no further than Cook With LUMS – organised by students, for students to help you interact with other students and feel attached to the university and your college a little bit more.

You get to send in pictures of your meals, which are then voted for on their Insta story, and the best chef in the college will be put on the college leader board. Cook With LUMS are running weekly events, and this week is their Valentine’s Special.

This Valentine’s Special involves sending in your best pictures of your Valentine’s meal, drink or dessert, which may be with your significant other, friends or even your flatmates, or just yourself. Every Valentine’s entry is worth double points for your college, which means you will be entered twice into the leader board for double the chance to represent your college.

Starting on Wednesday 10th February and running until Thursday 18th February, this is a great way to take some time to hang out with people you may not have met and learn how to cook something apart from frozen nuggets and chips.

The recipes are easy to make, and there is a bonus of winning the “Rate My Plate” voting, which could get you a free meal from Sultans. That’s right, a free meal from Sultans!

Baking and cooking competition

If one cooking idea wasn’t enough, we have a brilliant competition being run by Enactus Project Inspire. They are group of students form diverse backgrounds coming together to build a community for LUMS students by creating a fun and interactive community for all students – both on campus and off campus – in these strange times.

From the 13th to the 15th February, a competition of cooking and baking will be taking place, with LUMS students being invited to join the group on Teams, chat about cooking and join in on the competition by posting pictures of their prepared meal.

It’s fun for three reasons. First, it is a way of meeting new people that share similar interests in cooking and baking. Secondly, you get to learn new recipes to cook and bake with from the group. Finally, there’s prizes of five pound and 10 pound Amazon vouchers available for those who are voted best cooks.

Take Me Out: Grizedale and County edition

If you love Take Me Out and have always wanted to go on the show, Grizedale College and County College are bringing the show to campus for all singletons. Set up as a way to help students who have not had the same opportunities to meet others in university because of the pandemic, it’s a great way to meet people online and also get a chance at romance too.

Taking place from Friday 12th February at 7pm, signups are available until Wednesday 10th at 4pm.

This is open to all year groups and sexualities, and it’s a great chance to try and meet someone either in your own year or others. You get the chance to state your preference in the sign up form here.

You can either be a main contestant or the option to choose one lucky person – just like the show. Winners will get the chance to not only meet someone, but have an online date with them. Winners will be provided with vouchers to buy a takeaway and have an online dinner date with their chosen person.

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