Sadness at the death of a Newcastle University student

Previous President of Newcastle University’s Disability and Neurodiversity Society (DaNSoc), Daniel Wood, passed away on the morning of Monday 12th of June. The cause of his death is currently unknown.

Newcastle University Students’ Union published a statement saying: “Daniel was a tireless campaigner for students with disabilities, playing an integral role in facilitating a series of positive changes over the past year. Daniel leaves a lasting legacy of a more accessible University for his peers and successors.

“Beyond being an exceptional colleague, Daniel was held in incredibly high esteem across the institution and was a friend to many of us. All of our thoughts are with Daniel’s family and friends at this difficult time. ”

From left: Errol Kerr, Daniel Wood, Richard Crake and Georgina Parker, at NUS Disabled Students’ Conference, Manchester

Errol Kerr, friend and co-worker, told The Tab: “Just before the start of this academic year, I was introduced to Daniel by a friend. Meeting in Quilliams, I pitched my idea of a disability oriented society – and from that point onwards we were inseparable.

“Helping me set up DaNSoc alongside Zoë Godden and taking on the role of President, we went from quite literally nothing to a highly successful and recognised society. We ran campaigns alongside one another, stood (I mean, preferably sat…) for elections, and overall we’ve made some amazing impacts this year.

“In only the past few months, we’ve attended the NUS’ Disabled Students Conference, ran Newcastle’ s Disability Awareness Week, and have won an award for our work. I couldn’t have done any of this without him – and wouldn’t have wanted to.

“My last memory of him was much like my first – we discussed ideas for next year, what we had planned for our society, and reflecting on how much we’d done. We had one last complain about stairs, and I made a joke about him running my toes over, before he headed home. He’ll always be remembered fondly, and I’ll strive to make change in his memory.”

Newcastle’s Student Wellbeing Service can be contacted here if any student is in need of support at this time or contacted on 0191 208 3333.