On 1 March, students gathered at 06:30 at Pantry in Hazelwood for Sunny Sundays with Pantry – a 5km community run organised through a collaboration between Law House and Only Friends Run Club. The initiative aimed to promote wellness and connection among students, particularly those studying demanding programmes such as Law. Participants were encouraged to arrive dressed in light and bright colours. When participants arrived, they were greeted with loud music and an energetic warm-up dance, which was interrupted as the rain began pouring over the runners. But despite this, participants set off running along the route.
The event was supported by several sponsors who helped contribute to the morning’s activities. Sponsors included BAIC Hatfield, SQUAD Cars, Stately, TANN Photography, Toe Jam Co, and Virgin Active. Representatives from BAIC Hatfield attended the event and displayed a new BAIC vehicle outside Pantry, drawing attention from runners who took photos and examined the new car.
As runners completed the route, SQUAD Cars handed out drinks to help everyone rehydrate while TANN Photography documented the event, capturing the warm-up dance, runners setting off along the route, and the post-run celebrations. Following the run, attendees joined a guided cooldown session to stretch and recover from the activity.
After the run, participants gathered inside Pantry where special offers were available. The promotions included buying a coffee and getting any croissant for free, and having the pepperoni and margherita pizzas being discounted by 10%. This encouraged runners to stay and socialise after the event.
According to Lipuo Macheitjie, Law House’s Culture Internal Executive Committee member, the collaboration was created to help students connect outside the pressures of academic life. She said: “Getting Law House involved in the Sunny Sundays initiative in collaboration with Only Friends and Pantry was really about creating a space for law students to connect outside of the academic environment. Because university can be incredibly demanding and [students] often become so focused on [their] studies and responsibilities, [they] do not always get the opportunity to socialise and build meaningful relationships with one another.”
Although the rain made conditions more challenging than expected, participants thoroughly enjoyed the run, coffee, food, and conversion. This event illustrated the importance of student activities such as this in creating meaningful opportunities for connection and well-being.
Visual: Dineo Tswai
