The University of Nottingham Students’ Union (UoNSU) has confirmed that Karnival’s 7-Legged bar crawl will “cease to exist” following last October’s Alton Towers costume controversy.
The cancellation of the bar crawl, which would have been in its 52nd year this October, has been agreed by the Students’ Union Board of Trustees in “response to an incident relating to 2016’s 7-Legged event that took place on 17th October 2016”.
“We look forward to Karnival returning with an improved working model to replace the 7-Legged event”
The aforementioned incident is believed to be the Alton Towers crash costume controversy, in which a group at last year’s 7-Legged were accused of mimicking the Smiler rollercoaster accident at the theme park. The story was reported nationally, and was a “misrepresentation” of the facts, according to UoNSU.
The group spoke exclusively to Impact following the controversy, stating that “the costume was in no way intended to reference the tragedy that occurred on the Smiler roller coaster at Alton Towers.”
In a statement released today, the SU have announced that 7-Legged will be replaced by “a new offer which will engage a similar number of students, within the values and behaviours of the Union.”
“7-Legged will be replaced by ‘a new offer which will engage a similar number of students, within the values and behaviours of the Union”
The SU assures that it is taking “proactive steps to improve activities and better manage the risks associated with the Karnival event.”
The Karnival Director and Executive Committee will collaborate with UoNSU officers and staff to create a new event that will “build on the success of Karnival and offer inspiring and expanded opportunities for the future.”
Ismail Sadurdeen, University of Nottingham Students’ Union President, has said:
“Karnival continues to make a huge contribution to many charities through its fundraising activities and to the local Nottingham community through its volunteering activities, as well as being a significant part of a great student experience for those taking part. We look forward to Karnival returning with an improved working model to replace the 7-Legged event. We’d like to thank the charities who we partner with and we look forward to continuing our relationships.
The SU have also confirmed that Karnival will not be closing, and state that they are “really looking forward to the future, and to taking Karnival’s fundraising and volunteering opportunities to the next level.”
Steven Green
Image: Martin Sylvester via Flickr
