Pole Dancing Club
"[With grant funding], this is only the second time we were able to send a full team to competitions. One of our hopes this year was to send the full team to Nationals, and we have succeeded in this. Through the SRC's financial help, this means we have the budget for Nationals too"
- Lyla Galloway (2025-26 Treasurer)
Type of Grant
Big Ideas
What the Grant Supported
"The grant supported UofG student participation in three inter-university pole dance competitions - Northern Pole Varsity (Edinburgh), the Scottish University Pole Dance Competition (Stirling), and Angels of the North (Newcastle) - helping to cover competition entry fees, travel, and accommodation costs for participating students. This funding significantly reduced the financial burden on participants and enabled wider involvement, allowing students to access competitive opportunities that would otherwise have been unaffordable, and for some, provided a rare chance to compete at this level."
Long Term Impact
- At Northern Pole Varsity, Glasgow University Pole Dancing Club placed in 4 of 5 categories and secured 1st place overall, with all 7 competitors qualifying for Nationals in Birmingham.
- The club is now building connections with other qualifying universities ahead of Nationals and continuing to strengthen our inter-university relationships.
- As overall winners, the club is exploring the opportunity to host Northern Pole Varsity in Glasgow next year and collaborate on competition guidelines to improve accessibility and inclusion.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
"Financially, competitions and pole, in general, are expensive. Being able to provide necessary things, such as transport, that people needed for competitions has meant that those facing financial hardship did not feel excluded. Additionally, we have had multiple disabled students competing this year and the grant has helped provide them with some extra support too. Furthermore, now we will have a say in how IUPDC is organised and run and hope to make it more accessible to those with disabilities and to universities who don't currently have the funding to compete."
Lessons Learned
"As a society that has not applied for many grants before, we learnt more about the system and how the SRC can best support us to support our members. It also helped us to solidify our plan for competitions in the future."
Additional SRC Support Provided
- Used the SRC room booking system to hold meetings focused on organising and coordinating competition participation.
- Met with the Clubs team in advance to discuss grant details and application requirements.
Would Your Society Apply for an SRC Grant Again
"Yes, it would probably be for competitions again as the cost can vary wildly. If we do end up hosting one (or more!) competitions, it woud be for support with hiring an accessible venue."