THE organiser of a thirteen-hour student event to welcome new students to Bangor has his back at criticism from the university.
Officials at Bangor University voiced concerns over the event, which is spread across five city bars.
Staff from the University and the Bangor Students’ Union have voiced their concern at the Bangor Fresh event, which offers discounted drinks offers to students taking part, following disturbances to local residents and risks to participants at similar events in previous Freshers Weeks.
James Kershaw, organiser of Bangor Fresh, said: “I find it quite strange really. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.
“The way it’s been planned makes sure it’s not a bar crawl, and in fact the route has been planned to give the maximum walking distance between the venues. If you go down the list, you have to go up and down the hill five times - it’s been carefully planned.
“Their offers are similar to other offers that will be on offer on the night, and the T-shirt represents a great deal for them. We haven’t put forfeits on the back saying you have to down six shots or neck this or that, and there’s a lot of peer guides who will be present to help students.”
"We've made it clear on our website that it is not a pub crawl, and we've linked to the Drink Aware website."
“I don’t feel that anyone should have any concerns.”
But David Roberts, registrar of Bangor University, emphasised that the University had no involvement in the organisation of the event.
Mr Roberts said: “We are very concerned about the welfare of individuals taking part and over the potential for disruption and problems in the local community, and we wish to emphasise that this event is not supported by the University.”
Participants are invited to begin the event at 2pm at Embassy nightclub, before taking advantage of the offers at Rascals, Yates, Fat Cats and The Menai Hotel, before returning for an “after party” at the new bar.
Student Union President Jo Caulfield also urged students to shun the event in favour of their own Freshers Week celebrations.
“The Students Union has a number of official events organised for Freshers Week, and we would encourage students to attend these rather than this event which has no connection whatsoever with the Students Union or University,” she said.