Student support over Christmas

If you’re in extreme distress and feel you may not be able to keep yourself safe, seek immediate help by visiting your nearest A&E, which will have a dedicated mental health team. Don’t hesitate to get emergency help by calling 999 if you or someone you know is in immediate risk.

The nearest local A&E unit to the University campus is Manchester Royal Infirmary, which provides urgent mental health support as well as help for injuries and medical emergencies.

You’ll find more urgent mental health support resources online.

While our Counselling and Mental Health Service will be closed from 4.30pm on Thursday, 21 December 2023 to 9am on Tuesday, 2 January 2024, you can still access support – including urgent help – and other mental health resources throughout this period.

In particular, please be aware of Health Assured’s 24-hour mental health support phone line and app, which means there is always someone available to provide support when you need it.

If you do not require immediate support, please get in touch with our Counselling and Mental Health Service when it reopens on Tuesday, 2 January 2024. Our website provides details of how you can get in touch or book an appointment online.

If you feel at immediate risk of acting on thoughts to hurt yourself or anyone else, please attend your nearest A&E department and ask for the mental health liaison team, who are on duty 24 hours a day.

Health Assured is a 24-hour mental health support phone line and app, which means there is always someone available to offer support when you need it – whatever the time of day or night. This phone line is available in 240 languages via a translation service.

If you feel suicidal or extremely low and need to talk to someone urgently, you can ring any of the following out-of-hours services:

• Greater Manchester Mental Health 24/7 Helpline – 0800 953 0285 
• The Samaritans – 116 123 or 0161 236 8000 
• Papyrus – 0800 068 4141

Campus Support and Security can provide additional help and support if you’re remaining on campus throughout the Christmas break, and are available around the clock. Whether you need to make a report or get home safely, they should be your first port of call.

Contact Campus Support and Security on 0161 306 9966. You’ll also find this number printed on the back of your student card.

The Advice and Response team will be available remotely until 4pm on Thursday, 21 December 2023. If you need to report an act of sexual violence, harassment, hate crime or discrimination, visit the Report and Support website and a caseworker will get back to you as soon as they can.

You can still report via this link during the University closure period from Friday, 22 December 2023 to Tuesday, 2 January 2024, and any reports will receive a response once the University reopens. If you need urgent support, please contact Campus Support and Security.

If you're staying on campus over Christmas, we recommend you download the SafeZone app, which is available on both Google Play and the App Store.

You can use SafeZone to call for help whenever you're located in:

• Fallowfield
• Victoria Park
• The University of Manchester campus
• Manchester Metropolitan University campus
• University of Salford campus.

As part of the Manchester SafeZone Alliance, any student can use the SafeZone app to get assistance on any of these campuses – no matter which university you attend. The app will directly connect you to the appropriate safety or security team for that area, who will provide the assistance you need. If you leave these areas you can still use the app, which will provide you with your local emergency services number – even if you're outside the UK.

A wellbeing chat service is available to students until Thursday, 21 December 2023 (11am–12pm and 3pm–4pm) and will reopen on Wednesday, 3 January 2024.

Your ResLife team is available to help you 24/7 throughout the Christmas period. The ResLife email inbox will not be monitored between Friday, 22 December 2023 and Tuesday, 2 January 2024, but you can reach the team by calling the duty ResLife Advisor number for emergency assistance.

Reception services will be open for reduced hours and offer limited services during Christmas. In the case of an emergency, such as an electricity outage, a burst water pipe, a break-in, or if you are locked out, a callout system is in operation. This can be accessed by contacting your Duty ResLife Advisor initially, or Campus Support and Security, who will assess whether a callout is required. 

• Call 24/7 IT Support – 0161 306 5544
• Search our IT support portal and knowledge base for step-by-step guides and troubleshooting articles.

If you think you’ll need to use Blackboard over the Christmas period, we suggest you log in now to check you have access to all of the correct course material. If any course information is missing, get in touch with your lecturer or course administrator as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can contact your eLearning team.

During the holiday period, support for Hornet (Halls of Residence Internet) will operate on a 'best efforts' basis. We are committed to addressing your Hornet-related queries as promptly as possible; however, please be aware that response times may be longer than usual due to the reduced availability of our Hornet representatives.

In the event of any issues requiring the intervention of the IT Services' Networks Team, these will be prioritised and resolved promptly once the University reopens on Tuesday, 2 January 2024. Find out more at Hornet help and support.

Opening hours for Main Library

There will be reduced opening hours at Main Library from Saturday, 16 December to Thursday, 21 December 2023 as follows:

• Monday to Thursday – 8am to 8pm
• Saturday and Sunday – 9am to 5pm

The Main Library and other Library sites will be closed from Friday, 22 December 2023 until Tuesday, 2 January 2024. 

Opening hours for the John Rylands Research Institute and Library

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library will be closed from Friday, 22 December 2023 and will reopen on Wednesday, 3 January 2024.  

Reader Services will close at 5pm on Thursday, 21 December 2023.

Opening hours for the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons

Study spaces will be available at the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons 

(AGLC) throughout the festive period.

The AGLC will be open from Saturday, 16 December 2023 to Monday, 1 January 2024 as follows:

• Monday to Friday – 8am to 8pm
• Saturday and Sunday – 9am to 5pm
• Christmas Day and Boxing Day – closed.

On opening days between Friday, 22 December 2023 and Monday, 1 January 2024, the AGLC will be staffed by security only.

Library Chat will be available 24/7 during the break, with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The Students’ Union (SU) Advice Service is available until Thursday, 21 December 2023 and will reopen on Wednesday, 3 January 2024.

The SU emergency loan scheme will be available until midday on Friday, 22 December. Requests received after this time may not be processed. 

If you contact us during the Christmas break, you will be provided with information on other services that may be able to help you while the SU Advice Service is closed. You can also find details of alternative support on the SU website.

If you would like to request advice, you can make an enquiry using our Online Contact Form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can after we reopen on Wednesday, 3 January. If you have an urgent housing issue during the break, we recommend speaking to Shelter or Citizens Advice.

The Careers desk will be closed from Monday, 18 December 2023 to Sunday, 14 January 2024. During this time, students can still access our live Webchat from 1pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Friday, 22 December to Tuesday, 2 January when the University is closed. Online drop-in sessions are also available.

If you're applying for part-time jobs, graduate schemes, internships, or placements over the Christmas break, take a look at our applications and interview support, which covers everything from CVs and cover letters to assessment centres and interviews.

Whether you want to practice interviewing, get your CV checked, or prepare for graduate scheme assessments, we have plenty of free online tools to help you learn at your own speed, whenever and wherever you want.

If you're keen to work out at home over the break, UoM Sport have got you covered. Browse their workout videos, which cover all levels of ability.

Armitage Sports Centre

The Armitage Sport Centre opening hours are as follows:

• Monday, 18 December to 21 December 2023, 7am to 10.30pm
• Friday, 22 December 2023 to Monday, 1 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January 2024 onwards, 7am to 10.30pm

For any further queries, please contact armitagecentre@manchester.ac.uk.

Manchester Aquatics Centre

The Manchester Aquatics Centre opening hours are as follows:

• Friday, 22 December 2023, 5.30am to 10pm
• Saturday, 23 December 2023, 6am to  5.30pm
• Sunday, 24 December 2023, 9am to 2pm
• Monday, 25 December and Tuesday, 26 December 2023 – closed
• Wednesday, 27 December to Friday, 29 December 2023, 8am to 5pm
• Saturday, 30 December 2023, 9am to 4pm
• Sunday, 31 December 2023, 9am to 2pm
• Monday, 1 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January 2024 onwards, 5.30am to 10pm

For any further queries, please contact manchesteraquaticscentre@gll.org

All available sessions can be booked through the app. Download the app.

UoM Sport

The UoM Sport Office at the Students' Union opening hours are as follows:

• Monday, 18 December to Thursday, 21 December 2023, 8am to 4pm
• Friday, 22 December 2023 to Monday, 1 January 2023 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January 2024 onwards, 8am to 4pm 

For any further queries, please contact sport@manchester.ac.uk.

The festive season is a great time to get involved in volunteering. Browse the options below for a few ideas to get you started:

Nursery garden tidy-up (Tuesday, 5 December)

Help tidy up the garden of 4 Cheeky Monkeys – a non-profit nursery helping to build the imagination, social skills and playtime for children and their carers.

Create Christmas cards for children’s charity (Thursday, 7 December)

Head to the Alan Turing Building to create Christmas cards for PostPals, a charity dedicated to putting smiles on the faces of seriously ill children aged three to 17, and their siblings. 

Christmas in Withington (Friday, 8 December) 

Take a couple of hours out of your day to get into the festive spirit by helping Withington Civic Society with their annual Christmas celebrations. 

The Widows Empowerment Trust Christmas Party (Sunday, 10 December)

Help to set up and coordinate the event, welcome and serve guests at the party, organise activities for children and assist with fundraising activities such as selling pins and raffle tickets.

Withington Assist festive lunch (Tuesday, 19 December)

Join us at this Christmas lunch and coffee group for senior citizens run by Withington Assist, which provides a range of support services and activities for older people designed to help them continue to live independent, active and fulfilling lives.

Help at Z-arts events and workshops (Thursday, 28 and Friday, 29 December)

Set up and organize workshop materials; be a welcoming and friendly face for the children and young people taking part; help facilitate group activities and keep children engaged.

For more opportunities, head to our Volunteer Hub. 

We understand that Christmas can be a difficult period for some of our students, so we’ve put together four alternative Christmas guides to support you if you need a little extra TLC this season:

• Places to visit during Christmas in Manchester
• Spending Christmas as an estranged student
• Caring for yourself if you’re feeling low over Christmas
• Celebrating Christmas as part of the LGBTQ+ community  

If you’re staying on campus for the break, you can also check out our 100 things to do in Manchester for lots of free things to see and do in the city. 

The Faculty are offering both face-to-face and online support Monday to Friday until Thursday, 21 December 2023, when the Hubs will close at 4.00pm. You can contact us via the details on the School support page.

Alliance Manchester Business School

• Friday, 22 December 2023 to Monday, 1 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January 2024 – 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday   

School of Arts, Languages and Cultures Student Support Hub, Samuel Alexander Building

• Monday, 18 December to Thursday, 21 December – 10am to 4pm
• Friday, 22 December to Monday, 1 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January to Friday, 12 January – 10am to 4pm

School of Environment, Education and Development, Student Support Hub, Humanities Bridgeford Street (Ground floor)

• Monday, 18 December to Thursday, 21 December – 9am to 5pm
• Friday, 22 December to Monday, 1 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January to Friday, 12 January – 9am to 5pm

School of Social Sciences, Arthur Lewis Building

Located in the Arthur Lewis Building, ground floor (turn left through the main doors). To get in touch, please email soss.hub@manchester.ac.uk or phone 0161 529 3377.

• The SoSS Student Support Hub will be closed on Friday, 22 December 2023 and will reopen on Tuesday, 2 January 2024.
• Between Tuesday, 2 January and Friday, 12 January 2024, it will be open for in-person and telephone enquiries from 10am to 4pm. During this time, it will be open for email enquiries from 9am to 5pm.
• From Monday, 15 January 2024 onwards, the Hub will be open for in-person, telephone and email enquiries from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Postgraduate Taught Programmes office reception, Williamson Building (third floor)

• Monday, 18 December to Thursday, 21 December – 10am to 4pm
• Friday, 22 December to Tuesday, 2 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January to Friday, 12 January – 10am to 4pm

Faculty of Humanities Doctoral Academy, Ellen Wilkinson Building

• Monday, 18 December to Thursday, 21 December, 9am to 5pm
• Friday, 22 December to Monday, 1 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January onwards, 9am to 5pm

School of Engineering, Engineering Building A (First floor, 1A.042)

The Student Support Hub will be open and available for drop-ins and appointments up to and including Thursday, 21 December 2023.

• Monday, 18 December to Thursday, 21 December 2023, 10am to 4pm
• Friday, 22 December to Monday 1 January 2024 – closed
• Tuesday, 2 January to Friday, 12 January, 10am to 4pm
• From Monday, 15 January, 9am to 5pm (except Wednesdays, which are 10am-5pm)

To arrange an appointment, please contact your School team.

School of Natural Sciences, Alan Turing Building (Ground floor)

The Student Support Hub in the Alan Turing Building will be open and available for drop-ins and appointments in the lead-up to Christmas.

• Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm during non-teaching days. The Hub will remain open until the University closes on Thursday, 21 December, with the exception of Thursday, 14 December, when the Hub will be closed.
• The Hub will be closed over the Christmas period, and will reopen on Tuesday, 2 January 2024.

To arrange an appointment, please contact the Hub directly by emailing Sons.hub@manchester.ac.uk or calling 0161 529 4517 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.