Students enjoying Sheffield Rag Week over the yearsStudents enjoying Sheffield Rag Week over the years
Students enjoying Sheffield Rag Week over the years

100 years of Sheffield RAG: Looking back over a century of fundraising and hijinx

As Sheffield Raising and Giving (RAG) marks its centenary we have delved into our archives to take a look back at some of the weird and wacky things the city’s students have done over the years to raise money for charity.

Sheffield RAG’s fundraising began in 1920 when medical students would raise money for the city’s hospitals.

And from there it developed into a week of fundraising frivolity that was undoubtedly the highlight of the year for many students, during which aspiring academics would go all-out in a bid to raise money for Rag Week.

For some, that meant dressing up in all manner of unusual attire, including a “pyjama jump” which would see students dressing up in PJs and nighties and heading out on the town.

Rag Week often saw students bring in a six-figure sum for charity would culminate in a parade through the city centre that would be attended by thousands.

The wacky rituals continued into the 1990s, but Sheffield RAG’s fundraising lives on, now in the form of flash mobs, pub quizzes and bake sales.

But this year’s fundraising festivities were forced online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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