RAG Week

Raising and Giving Week (RAG Week) was a week during the University year when students would attempt to raise as much money as possible for charity, normally with a procession of floats and a variety of fundraising events and activities.

To encourage spectators to donate, RAG activities were often bizarre and eccentric in style, striving to engage fellow students and the local community in their fundraising efforts.

Leicester RAG officially began in 1945, although earlier copies of the student newspaper the ‘Ripple’ refer to various forms of RAG events occurring as early as 1931.

Female students at the University have played a vital role within the fundraising process, both through organising and participating in the numerous activities.

From the ‘Carnival Queen’ pageant to the ‘RAG Revue’, and from practical pranks to costume competitions, the women of the University threw themselves into the spirit of RAG.