Sheffield Hallam University final year Events Management students have partnered with St Luke’s for a second year running, raising nearly £17,000 and introducing students to charity event fundraising.

As part of their final assessment, students planned and delivered a live event, with all proceeds donated to St Luke’s.

St Luke’s worked with the students throughout the 2025/26 academic year, sharing information about the charity’s impact across the city, and delivering tours of the hospice.

This year, eight groups put on events for St Luke’s, including a ‘Traitors’ themed dinner, Vegas night, 80s daytime disco, escape room themed dinner, drag bingo, Sheffield made market, Chinese dumpling making and boogie bingo.

The students started the year by raising money to fund their event. The St Luke’s team then attended their event pitch presentations to offer feedback and ideas to help with their event planning and creation.

Community and Events Fundraising Manager, Katie Fielding, said: “As Sheffield’s Hospice, we are incredibly proud to be partnering with one of Sheffield’s amazing universities - it feels like the perfect fit!”

“At St Luke’s, we work to create mutually beneficial partnerships with anyone we work with and we hope that we have contributed to their learning by shining a light on what’s involved in holding a charity event and that fundraising can be a fantastic potential career choice.”

“We would like to say a huge thank you to course tutors Jane and Ian, as well as all the students for this amazing opportunity,” continued Katie. “The money raised will make a huge difference here at St Luke’s and you have been a joy to work with!”

Thanks to their fantastic efforts this year, Sheffield Hallam University students have now raised almost £30,000 over the two years of the partnership.

What’s more, two of this year’s events made it to the final of the Fast Forward 15, University Challenge - a mentoring movement, championing female talent in the events, travel and hospitality industry. The ‘Betrayers’ event ended up taking home the win, and the Last Dinner Party were Highly Commended.

One student said: “It was incredible to see where our fundraising was going to go. It was really eye-opening, and interacting with staff on duty was such a lovely experience.”

Another student added: “I learnt so many things from the experience of working with St Luke’s, from understanding them as a charity, the work they do, and the long-term positive impact they have on so many people. I also learnt so many important lessons about events and fundraising that I will take forward with me forever.”

The students' module leader, Dr Jane Tattersall of Sheffield Business School, said "What a brilliant collaboration with St Luke's Hospice this year, highlighting the calibre and professionalism of our Events Management graduates and their passion for supporting such an important charity.”

“The guidance from Katie and Olivia was invaluable, in helping them achieve their goals and raise a meaningful amount of funds."