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Heriot-Watt underlined its reputation for being truly global this week when a herd of Alpacas was welcomed onto its Edinburgh Campus.
More than 400 students took the opportunity to meet the animals within a fenced off area next the Students’ Union. The Alpacas – which are native to South America – were transported to the university by local firm, Bobcat Alpacas, to provide students with a welcome break from their studies and an opportunity to destress.
The idea behind today’s event is to give students an opportunity to take a break and relax. We love having animals on campus to promote student wellbeing and animal assisted therapy is just one of the techniques we use to help achieve this.
The event is part of the University’s Diversity Month which, in part, aims to raise aware around mental health and to promote student wellbeing.
Aashna Bakshi, Vice-President of Wellbeing, helped organise the event and explained, “University is a wonderful experience but adjusting to the environment, particularly if you are new, can be challenging.
“The idea behind today’s event is to give students an opportunity to take a break and relax. We love having animals on campus to promote student wellbeing and animal assisted therapy is just one of the techniques we use to help achieve this.
“We held a similar event last year, which was very popular and decided to invite the Alpacas back. They are once again proving to be a big hit on campus!”
Throughout October, the university is celebrating Diversity Month by hosting a series of events to raise funds for the Black Dog Campaign, which is run by the mental health charity SANE.
One of the key events for Diversity Month is the Colour Run taking place at the Edinburgh Campus on 8 October, starting at 10am at Oriam.
This family friendly 5km run is a great opportunity to get fit, have fun and raise money for SANE.
Tickets are available at the Oriam reception desk or by calling 0131 451 8400.