Bonfire Night hosted by Leicester and De Montfort universities' Christian Unions a success

Two hundred students from both De Montfort University and the University of Leicester went to a bonfire night in a farm in Hungarton the Thursday before Bonfire Night.

An event hosted by the DMU Christian Union and the Leicester University Christian Union and run entirely by volunteers was a huge success, according to organisers.

“I think the event went really well,” said Ryan Kinuthia, a 22-year-old animation student at DMU who spends most of his free time working as the President of the DMU Christian Union.

“Everything ran smoothly, it was a lot of stress to organise, but we got it done.”

The event was hosted at Dixon Farm – a venue that was given to DMUCU and LUCU for free. The night involved food, a talk, and then of course a bonfire.

“We try to make it as open as possible,” Ryan said, explaining that they want as many different students as possible from any background to come.

“There seems to be a stigma around Christian events, so we try to just have an open place to have a good chat, and chillax.”

The two societies had hired four coaches to take students to Dixon Farm, from three different meeting points throughout Leicester, and even though tickets were £5 per person, the societies still made a loss of several hundred pounds, although this was expected. 

The Christian Unions of DMU and University of Leicester collaborate on events often.

“It makes a lot of sense; we are doing the exact same thing and it just makes more sense to work together to reach out to as many students as possible,” the DMUCU President said, explaining why the unity is important.

“We are currently planning a joint Carol Service for the 7th of December.”

All the stewards, speakers and organisers did it on a volunteering basis – even the lighting and sound system was set up by a local church for free.

“When you’ve explained something beautiful, when you’re excited about something, you want to share it with everyone,” Ryan said, explaining why so many people gave resources and time to the event.

The route to the bonfire picked students up from three locations across Leicester before continuing to Dixon Farm in Hungarton