All candidates for UEA Welfare Officers indefinitely suspend campaigns in solidarity

Following the tragic death of UEA Student Theo Brennan Hulme, and the resulting campaigns for drastic change to how UEA treats mental health issues, all candidates for welfare officers have suspended their election campaigns indefinitely.

A brief suspension of the election campaigns was mandated for all positions till last weekend following the announcement of Hulme's death on Wednesday, but the welfare candidates are the only collective group known to have suspended live campaigns as a whole. They agreed to suspend live campaigning but allowed limited online campaigns on Monday afternoon.

You can still read their manifestos and vote for your choice until voting closes at Midday tomorrow (18/03/2019), but they will not be doing an active campaigning for themselves. Instead their last leg will involve being endorsed by friends, supporters, and boosts on older posts.

Bill Weston, Mark Perryman, Elodie Mayo, Amelia Trew, Mireille and Gabriela Williams all came together in the name of mental health

Yesterday they marked the elections by painting a banner for the 'Reclaim the Night' event on this thursday the 21st from 8.30 pm – it's a march across the city to protest street harassment, hate crime and sexual, relationship and domestic violence. The candidates also gave out free cakes and origami frogs with inspiring messages written on them.

Here's the collective statement from all candidates on why they came to their decision.

''We felt that it was important for us to continue to postpone campaigning because it was a moral, compassionate decision taken by Welfare candidates, acutely aware of the welfare needs of the student body. The recent death of a UEA student hit us all incredibly hard and we did not feel comfortable actively campaigning whilst the university was still in mourning. We decided that the best thing we could do is come together as one in solidarity during a time of such unfortunate circumstances.''

Remember, voting closes at midday (19/03/2019)

Photo credit: Amelia Trew