Factor: Anna Luna Biddle, Fourth year, film and TV
Have you ever heard of a society that gives you 20 minutes to do nothing and run? If you haven’t, we’re here to introduce you Bristol University 20 Minute Club – probably one of the most unique groups on campus.
The group’s starting point is that once a week on a random day, at a random time, the club sends a message revealing the location. Members then have twenty minutes to arrive at the surprise social event. To get a better understanding of this difficult society, Epigram sat down with Alfie Dickens, third year zoology student and chairman of the 20 Minute Society.
When asked to describe people’s reactions to society’s sudden invitations, Aflie remarks: “People drop everything they’re doing and run. They leave lectures, stop cooking, sometimes bring roommates, he explains excitedly. He adds, jokingly, that although no one has yet brought a lecturer, they have encouraged it.
The birth story of 20 Minutes is both accident and serendipity – and a commendable amount of commitment. After being rejected by Bristol University, Alfie started his Freshers’ Week at Newcastle University. However, a week later he was informed that Bristol University had made a mistake and that he had finally been accepted. He then moved south to complete the rest of his studies.
However, Alfie did not leave Newcastle empty-handed; he now had knowledge of it 20 minute society and decided to start one in Bristol. “They were really helpful in the setup process,” he explains. “They gave us social ideas and tips”.
However, the society’s success was far from straightforward. It collapsed after its first semester and was almost disbanded, even encouraged by the student union. Despite this, Alfie remained determined and continued to run the club as a one-man committee. By the time of the actual general meeting, many members were eager to join, and now the association operates with a full committee. It has also become the country’s only official 20 Minute Society, as the original Newcastle chapter is no longer affiliated with its university. The first group discussion has a maximum of 1,000 members, and another has since been created.
Reminiscing about the society’s best social events, Alfie talks about their ‘handcuffed pub crawl’, a collaboration with last year’s pub crawl, which was attended by over 60 students. Another notable event was their ambitious attempt to create a “real-life Mario Kart” experience, complete with Tier scooters, banana peels and a multi-story parking lot, with attendees fully immersing themselves in dressing up as characters from the game. In addition to these, the association has also organized visits to the Coronation Tap to complete the infamous ’10 before 10′, and a ghost tour of the Wills Memorial Building. This last one was born out of a friendship between Alfie and the building’s security guard, who claimed it was haunted and set out to prove it with a guided tour.
Alfie calls the latest social event, which was secret at the time of writing but has since happened The A wonderful baguette loop. When you chat with Epigramhe outlined the plan for the event: “People meet in Berkeley Square. We give them a baguette and then they have two hours to get as far from Bristol as possible. Every twenty minutes they get a challenge to complete on the baguette. Like a true 20 Minute Society, the event had a spirit of spontaneity:” You don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know who you’re going to meet,” continues Alfie. “So you can’t have any preconceptions about what you’re going to get. We’ve had a lot of people become friends in 20 minutes and then hang out together. Apparently, an open mind is the only requirement for participation.
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Although the society is known almost exclusively for social causes, the committee aims to expand the group’s scope to become a “force for good”. They aim to do this by partnering with smaller associations to highlight them and raise money for charity over the coming months. In Alfie’s words, the society plans to “use the publicity that we’ve gotten away from really stupid events to do some pretty cool things” – this includes fundraising to “sleep over” the homeless.
Although Alfie will no longer be president next year, he hopes his legacy will continue with a new generation of self-identifying “20 minutes”. For those interested in joining, the membership fee is six pounds a year and can be found at on SU’s website. Membership offers early access to venues and allows members to participate in decision-making through exclusive surveys.
Featured image: 20 minute society
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