By Lucy Purkis Charters

It’s that time of year again — YUSU elections, and as such, a busy and confusing time in the students’ calendar.

Whether you’re part of a campaign team, running for a role, or… don’t really know what’s going on (honestly, same), you probably need a drink, boozy or otherwise. If this is you, but you’re not quite sure what it is you’re craving, then you’ve come to the right place.

Here is a list of the five people running for the role of Community and Wellbeing Officer, and what drinks I think they are. Hopefully you’ll leave this knowing what you want to drink, or simply knowing a bit more about the candidates!

Abby Pullen – Hot Chocolate

As Abby points out in their Vision candidates page: chocolate is excellent for self-care. They seem to be all about hearing student voices, and what better way to hear what your peers have to say than over a warming mug of cocoa? And if you’d like a “fresh perspective”, why not throw some Baileys in there, or even spice it up with a dash of chilli? 

Charlotte Ingrey – Redbull

Charlotte seems to have a lot of plans for campaigning on behalf of students, if they get elected. They seem to be a lively and bubbly person, but even the most active of us get tired sometimes. That’s why I chose Redbull (or any other energy drink) to represent them — hopefully they’ll have time between campaigns to share one with Longboi…

Kelly Balmer – Glass of Red Wine

Red wine is an excellent classic, and Kelly seems to be a classic Sabb candidate: lots of good ideas, previous experience working with the Uni, and an emphasis on having conversations, be it “uncomfortable” ones with the Uni itself, or hearing what her peers have to say. If hot chocolate isn’t your thing for these types of conversations, red wine is a great alternative!

Rebecca Wilcockson – Green Tea

Rebecca justifiably puts a lot of emphasis on health in her Vision candidates page. Whilst it’s not as good as an effective Open Door service would be, taking time over a cup of green tea (or normal tea, if that’s more your cup of tea – sorry) can help calm you down in periods of stress. 

Your Babe Rokas – Passionfruit Martini

Your Babe Rokas seems like he’d be a fun guy on a night out. Along with this, in his Vision candidates page, he claims to be “burning with a passion” to create change, which for some reason immediately made me think of passionfruit martinis (I think I just miss cocktail nights with the gals). 


As a quick disclaimer: these are all meant to be taken lightly, my suggestions are based on a mix of what they say on the YUSU Elections candidate page and their responses to York Vision’s own questions to them. I hope you enjoyed this list, and it gave you some inspiration for what to have on your next social Zoom call!