As part of a week of activities and events to help our students with their mental health organised by the Students’ Union, a variety of furry, feathered and even scaly animals visited the St Mary’s campus for a day.

For the Union president Caoilte Hamill, the visit of the animals was a way to bring students together.

“We have a couple of different external people coming in to give serious talks across the week about the effects of mental health and how to look after yourself.”

“The visit of the animals today can just prove to people that a nice break from the lectures, a nice break from the day-to-day classroom environment, to come out and have a bit of craic with something that you might not usually get can be really, really helpful.”

And for international student Lezin Baris, who has come from Dortmund in Germany to study at St Mary’s, the visit of the animals was a great example of how important it was to feel part of a student community.

“Days like these are small but precious moments and make everybody laugh and kind of forget about exams and stuff,” she told BBC News NI.

Mental health support through animal therapy on campus