April is shaping up to be a busy month for us, with celebrations, holidays and spring activities around Edinburgh. We have plenty of classes and activities available for you to enjoy with friends. April is also Stress Awareness Month; this time of year can be stressful with exam season fast approaching, work deadlines and school holidays. This year the theme is 'Be the Change' so we've got a few suggestions to help you make small changes for better wellbeing in your daily routines.
Stress Awareness Month
Tips and support for your wellbeing
April marks the start of exam season for both school and university students, often a stressful time for everyone involved. This month is also Stress Awareness Month so we have asked the Heriot-Watt Active Wellbeing team for their top tips for managing stress. These are useful daily skills for both work and studies, read the full article here.
If you do need some extra support during a stressful time, there are many resources out there for mental health support. You can visit our charity partners at Back Onside with mental health resources and emergency support.
New Kids Sports Classes!
Mini Movers and Mini Kickers starting this month
The April school holidays are here! Our regular classes are taking a short break from 6th - 12th April and we're looking forward to our Easter Sports camps running from 7th - 10th April, packed with fun games and activities.
If you are already looking ahead to the new term then we have some exciting updates for you! We have two new classes for our Minis (Age 3-5). From week commencing 20th April your little ones can enjoy Mini Kickers football classes and Mini Movers movement and balance classes. Bookings are open for our new and returning classes for the new term.
Road to 10k
New running program at Oriam
Following the success of our couch to 5k programme, we're taking the next step and pushing the distance to 10km! This is a great option if you're already running regularly but need that extra support and structure to help you build your endurance and extend your distance up to that 10km milestone. The programme will consist of three runs per week, two runs will be led by our own fitness team and the third will be for you to try independently in your own time.
Watt a Year!
Heriot-Watt Sports Union wrap up another successful season of Student Sport at Oriam
Heriot-Watt Sports Union are wrapping up their season of student sport on a high!
There are so many big wins from this year we can't fit them all in here but a few recent highlights include Heriot-Watt Men's 1s Football Team brought home the SSS Queens Park Shield for the 6th time on Wednesday 1st April! The HWU Men's Handball team won the SSS Cup here at Oriam on the 15th March and HWU Tennis Club were awarded University of the Year in the Tennis Scotland Awards.
At home, we also hosted the Watt Cup on Wednesday 25th March. This is an annual spectacular showcases all 34 clubs in a one-day showdown between team blue and team yellow. This year Yellow team came out on top by just 1 point! Get all the latest updates from the Sports Union Instagram page.
Oriam Youth Development Programme
Applications open for aspiring young athletes
Our Youth Development Programme has been growing from strength to strength and applications are open, with a couple of spaces left in each of our two weekly sessions. This is a fantastic programme designed for young aspiring athletes aged 12 - 15, in each session participants will learn new strength and resistance training skills within the gym alongside theory and developing their own personal training programme all with expert guidance from our Sports Science Team.
From the Archives
2025
Back Onside Charity Football Match
We're thrilled to host a new Charity Football Match in May, raising funds and awareness for Back Onside a brilliant mental health charity. Join us on the 11th May for a family-friendly match between Hollyoaks Celebrities and Back Onside Select. Find out more about the event and Back Onside in the link below.
2025
Heriot-Watt Men's Squash head to the Big BUCS Final
As the end of semester approaches, the Sports Union competition season is wrapping up another successful year of student sport.
The Heriot-Watt Squash team made it to the Big BUCS Final in Loughborough on 20th March, making history as the first team to ever make the BUCS National Finals for Heriot-Watt University. They missed out on the win but a massive achievement just to be there. Our Heriot-Watt Men's Football team are heading for the Semi-Finals in their league and several players have been called up to the Scottish Universities National Football Team.
Summary
Here's a round-up of everything we have planned at Oriam for April. New Classes, activities and more coming for spring 2026.