There are various interpretations out there including one that has RAG as an acronym for "Raising And Giving" which essentially sums up what Rags do on the surface, ie: Raising cash from the unsuspecting public and Giving it to charities, both local and national. However Rag is a lot more than that. Primarily they are born out of University or similar educational establishments where the students want to do a little bit more than just study or sit in a bar getting completely drunk. To summarise what it means to a lot of people Rag is about:

• Being part of a team
• Doing something fun or slightly nuts to raise cash
• Motivating a group of hungover volunteers to stand outside in the freezing rain or snow, blazing hot sunshine, etc...
• Making people laugh as they find you dressed like a fairy, bear, bride, or variations of nutcase
• Making the impossible possible, and miracles happen (like Rag Week)

As many will probably tell you, the fact that Rags through the ages have raised a lot of very serious money for a lot of very grateful charities is wonderful... but at the end of the day everyone has their own very personal reasons for doing it.

The RAG team is made up of lots of students, the more the merrier! Basically, over the course of the year there will be various events and fundraising campaigns, where we entice money from the public in aid of worthy causes. The best week of the year is RAG week – where there is a programme of amazingly cool and very random events designed to make sure we all have fun and raise lots of money for charity at the same time! Pretty much anything goes, as long as it’s (reasonably) safe, so if you have any fundraising ideas, or want to get involved by dressing up in a silly costume and collecting money, we’d love to hear from you!