Final Honours: Last week, Durham Students' Union (DSU) awarded the accolade of honorary life memberships to those who have served the promotion of life in Durham with most distinction throughout their time at college. The ceremony is an annual procedure in place to celebrate the achievements of some of the most diligent and committed students and figures in the university. The award may reward exceptionally hard work, the initiation of new projects or, significantly, a commitment to reinforce the links between students and the community. Within this sphere, the work of Durham University Charities Kommittee (Duck) manager Benny Littlejohn and Student Community Action's Andy Winter have been honoured. Their work in the support of charitable causes and promotion of community projects respectively has been of enormous service to Durham students, the place of the university in the community and the lives of local residents and organisations. Ben Dodds, a postgraduate student, was also recognised for his work at Trinity School, participating in school trips abroad and encouraging many more to participate in the project. Chris Rowlinson, of Durham City Forum, and Peter Bennion, of the Prince Bishops Shopping Centre, were recognised for their commitment to the entire city and all those who live within it.

Moving Out: DSU president Emily Fieran-Reed recently appeared on BBC television's North of Westminster. She spoke to highlight the worrying trend of young people moving away from rural areas into big cities. Debating with representatives of the Labour and Conservative parties, she highlighted the lack of affordable housing and the failures of the current system of funding for rural areas. She shared her vision of a world in which councils, housing associations and other agencies would work together to encourage young people to stay in rural areas in the North-East.

No Sustain, No Gain: In recognition of its commitment to the environment, the DSU recently joined forces with organisations in the North-East to investigate the issue of sustainability. With guidance from representatives of Durham County Council, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water, DSU found that, while its commitment to the environment was high compared to many organisations, there was much more that it could do.