This easter, NUS held its annual conference in Gateshead. Dannie Grufferty ran for the Block of 15 - a block of part time officers on the National Executive Committee. Dannie stood on the following manifesto statement, on which she was elected by delegates from all students' unions in the UK:

With a membership of 7 million, NUS has the ability to be the biggest campaigning organisation in the country. Yet some of our most active members are those who never engage with NUS or even their local students' union. At the moment, we are forgetting about the students who give their time and energy to activism, in one-off campaigns, through student activities, or by being a course rep.

I have seen the power of student led campaigns as President for two years at Liverpool, like when students united to prevent course closures. I have seen the power of collective action. And, I know that in our unions and in NUS we can only get our point across if we have mass mobilisation of our members.

If we are to be a strong National Union, we must have more campaigns that involve activists on the ground– and not campaigns imposed on us from the top down, decided upon by some detached people in a random committee. Whether it is campaigns on fees or global solidarity, we must reach out to the millions of students who at the moment barely know we exist.

Our members, and their families, are the ones hit by the unfair funding system. It is our job to support them to stand up against this injustice – we are not going to defeat the government without them.

As your NEC member, I will be out there across regions, not just placed in towns and cities, fighting on your behalf whenever you need me. I have a record on campaigning against course closures and fighting fees on a local and national level. I will be the NEC member who doesn't just attend endless committees, while giving out orders from the top- I will be out there- on campuses working to empower our members.

I want to see a national union that has something to offer all students – a union that is a natural home for activists, as much as being a natural home for elected officers.