A HAMPSHIRE student union is amongst the best in the country according to the young people it serves.

Winchester University’s Students Union was ranked seventh in England with 83 per cent of respondents to the National Students Survey (NSS) being satisfied or very satisfied with the range and quality of services, activities and support it offered its members.

The satisfaction rating was three per cent up on last year and put the Winchester union top among the Cathedrals Group on universities.

Union president Savannah King said: “This NSS news comes alongside a brilliant ranking for the University of Winchester, being ranked fourth in England for overall satisfaction!

"These NSS results are exciting for a couple of reasons. Due to the information that we receive about respondents to the NSS, it allows us as a student union to be responsive and reactive to different students’ needs, by filtering responses by factors like course, or mode of study, in order to continue to best represent, serve, and cultivate opportunities for our diverse student body.

“Additionally, and very importantly, it’s thrilling to see the engagement of students with Winchester student union, as well as the hard work of the officers and staff, being recognised so positively on a national scale. It’s wonderful that both in regard to the university and the student union, Winchester ‘boxes above its weight’, according to those that matter most – Winchester's students."

The NSS rating follows on from success at the recent Ents Forum, a conference for student union entertainment managers across the country, where Winchester Student Union’s The Vault was named ‘Best Student Union Venue – under 1000 capacity’.