Trigger Warning: mentions of rape, sexual assault, violence and homophobia This opinion piece is by Kate Waldock Over the past few days, the UK has been in a growing turmoil. Sarah Everard, a 33 year old woman, disappeared as she walked home┬áin South London. As the days went by there was a growing murmur of worry. We all know from crime television shows that after … Continue reading It IsnÔÇÖt All Men, but It Is Almost Always a Man
Words by Indi Scott Whitehouse Illustration by Sian Hopkins TRIGGER WARNING:// Eating Disorders, Body Image, Fatphobia Since Boris Johnson announced the ÔÇ£June 21st roadmapÔÇØ plan last month, our social media feeds have been inundated with posts about celebrating our return to freedom. The thought of being able to finally embrace family and friends and excitedly round up your mates for pre-drinks is something that has been … Continue reading The “June 21st Body”
By Ella Lloyd Illustration by Amelia Field *TW ÔÇô Discussions of autoimmune diseases and undiagnosable illnesses* When I was 11, I caught glandular fever. I was off school for nearly 3 weeks and lost a lot of weight. IÔÇÖve never quite been right since. From around 15, I developed a host of unexplained symptoms- joint pain, excessive fatigue, chest pains, consistent anaemia, and weird blotchy … Continue reading Invisible Illnesses VII: Living with an Undiagnosed Autoimmune Disease
By Jess Macauley On 3rd September 1939, the country listened as Neville Chamberlain went on air to tell the nation, ÔÇÿthis country is at war with GermanyÔÇÖ. The announcement was the start of a six-year global war including most of the world’s countries; changing lives forever, leaving no one unaffected. Seventy-six years after the end of WW2, the nation was once again addressed by the … Continue reading Covid vs. Wartime Experiences
By Eva Rodericks In a time of extreme difficulty for many, whether that be financially, emotionally or physically, Cardiff students have been doing their bit to support the national effort and fight against the effects of the pandemic. Essential Goods Collection for The Trussell Trust Following the tireless campaigning by Manchester United and England football star Marcus Rashford, the government has taken a U-turn on … Continue reading Supporting Others in the Pandemic: The Cardiff Students Volunteering Through COVID-19
With people now beginning to miss the first national lockdown, we asked out contributors to reflect on the ‘lockdown one nostalgia’ and tell us what differences they have noted between feelings towards the first lockdown and the situation we now find ourselves in. Rubie Barker: As it approaches a year since the first lockdown began, it does seem inevitable that we are looking back. In … Continue reading Looking Back to Lockdown One
Trigger Warning: This article discusses street harassment and sexual assault. If you are affected by any of the issues discussed here, please contact Victim Support via their support line – 08 08 16 89 111. Interview by: Rhianna Hurren-Myers A few weeks ago, my housemate had a regular meeting with her personal tutor. To help with the claustrophobia of lockdown, she was encouraged to go … Continue reading Catcalls of Caerdydd: The Cardiff University Students #chalkingback Against Street Harassment
Interview by: Rhianna Hurren-Myers In this article, Quench Features caught up with Cardiff University’s Help for Homeless Society, discussing the ways in which students can help the homeless community across the city. What is homelessness? There isnÔÇÖt one strict definition of homelessness – it comes in many forms. To be homeless means to be without a home. A home is a place that provides security, … Continue reading A Chat With Cardiff University’s Help 4 Homeless Society…
By Katie Waits *TW ÔÇô Discussions of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs), dermatillomania, and trichotillomania* ÔÇ£Can you all please turn your cameras on?ÔÇØ ThatÔÇÖs such a familiar request nowadays. Some days, IÔÇÖll be happy to switch my camera on in a seminar. Other times, I dread those words. It usually means an hour of fidgeting, sitting at an awkward distance from the camera, constantly tilting and … Continue reading Invisible Illnesses VI: My Experience with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviour
By Caitlin Parr *TW ÔÇô Discussions of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, postnatal depression, self-harm, psychosis, schizophrenia and stigma surrounding mental health* When I reminisce on growing up in the noughties and 2010s there is no prominent memory of mental health being discussed in depth. There were no wellbeing hours in school; few conversations on what to do or who to reach out to if you … Continue reading Mental Health Campaigning in the 1980s
Many people often claim they were ‘born in the wrong era’, and fantasise about adopting the fashion and culture of previous years. However, popularising the music, fashion and art of the past doesn’t necessarily mean it was always a politically positive time to be living in. We asked our contributors to discuss the era they would choose, and the positives and negatives of that time. … Continue reading Born in the Wrong Era
words by: Sasha Nugara We Will Remember They always say that you remember where you were when you heard about a life changing event, and I think 9/11 is one of those occasions. I was just a one-year-old baby when it happened, cradled in my motherÔÇÖs arms, as a breaking story suddenly bombarded all news channels. Having just heard something on the radio, she rushed … Continue reading Reflections from a Post-9/11 Generation
By Quench Features Editor, Rhianna Hurren-Myers ÔÇ£We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road ÔÇö the one less travelled by … Continue reading Earth Day: The Birth of Climate Activism
By Hazel Ravu December 1st was World AIDS Day and it brought to light on how HIV and AIDS are still not as widely discussed or destigmatised as they could be in 2020. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system, resulting in vulnerability to other infections and diseases. It is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids, mostly during unprotected … Continue reading HIV and AIDS – The Forgotten Pandemic?
Words by Indi Scott Whitehouse Illustration by Sian Hopkins Last month, Scotland became the first country in the world to provide free access to period products. After a 4-year campaign led by Scottish Health spokesperson Monica Lennon, councils in Scotland will legally have to provide sanitary products to anyone who needs access to them. This is a fantastic move towards a more understanding and inclusive … Continue reading Period Poverty and the Tampon Tax
By Caitlin Parr *TW – Sexual harassment and assault: This piece contains discussion and information about public sexual harassment and sexual assault that may be triggering for some readers and survivors* With so many national initiatives this year to spread kindness, support small businesses, and share love for key workers it is disappointing to see that a larger percentage of people than ‘normal’ obviously did … Continue reading #CrimeNotCompliment Campaign: How Plan International UK Are Planning to Make Our Streets Safer
by Suraya Kazzuz The racist backlash in response to a SainsburyÔÇÖs advert that was recently released has become the topic of conversation around Britain for the past few weeks. The advert, which is the first of three parts, focuses on a Black family and their Christmas traditions ÔÇô displaying photos and home videos of the familyÔÇÖs Christmas dinner while a phone call plays over the scenes … Continue reading Retail Against Racism: The Racist Responses to the Sainsbury’s Christmas Advert
By Shannon Bowes-Cavanagh 2020 has been a strange year for everyone with many people being put on furlough for most of it. This can make the prospect of graduating into the new world Covid-19 has created, very daunting. A study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests that graduates should expect to earn less because of the struggling economy based on data from past … Continue reading How has the Pandemic Impacted Gen ZÔÇÖs Employability?
For most of my college life and the start of my university years, my dad stopped talking to me. At first, it took me a while to comprehend what was happening. It was like a switch had been flicked in our family dynamic, and before I knew it, I had spent four years living in a house of silence. Initially I was really angry, but … Continue reading Invisible Illnesses V: Living With a Depressed Parent
words by: Elly Savva *TW // Domestic violence: This piece talks about details of abuse that may be triggering for survivors* Despite the recent verdict which ruled that Amber Heard had been subjected to violence by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, many on the internet have rushed to DeppÔÇÖs defence. Leaked phone calls suggest that their marriage was messy and Heard fought back. However, the fact … Continue reading Amber Heard – The ‘Untrustworthy’ Woman
