Jamie Crummie

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I graduated from the University of Leeds in Law and Australian Legal Studies. I then went on to complete an LLM at QMUL in International Human Rights Law. I have a strong passion for human rights and social justice and have worked with various NGOs over the past few years with a strong focus on indigenous and refugee rights. 

What motivated you to apply for your course at Leeds?

I applied to study law because of the variety of skills the course demands from you. As an activist I wanted to study a course that equipped me with the relevant skills to make a difference be it through being a voice for others or offering services which can benefit society.

I chose Leeds because it’s the greatest university in Europe! It’s a campus university within a vibrant and friendly city that has so much to offer. I also followed my sister up to Leeds after loving the place when I visited her.

How would you describe your experience at the University?

I genuinely loved all of it. Six years later I am still best friends with the mates I made at university – I even founded Too Good To Go with one of them. I particularly enjoyed my involvement with various societies from Amnesty International to STAR but especially the pro-bono schemes encouraged through the Law School such as Learning with Partnerships which involved helping out in inner-city primary schools. 

What did you think of your course? 

I thoroughly enjoyed my course. My lecturers were great in provoking thought and encouraging debate which are skills that have definitely benefited me and given me the confidence to start up my own social enterprise. On top of this, my course offered a year abroad which has helped me adapt to different environments and situations not to mention being an amazing experience.

How has your time at Leeds helped you to develop?

I was always set on a career in law and this was my intention even during my LLM, but as many of my lecturers may tell you the corporate ladder was never for me. The chance to start my own social enterprise that instils social justice and social inclusion as some its core principles was too much of an exciting opportunity to turn down. I guess my time at Leeds has helped give me the confidence and skill set to throw myself into situations I am not wholly familiar with.

Tell us about Too Good To Go. How did it come about? What is your role within the organisation?

Too Good To Go is a social enterprise that aims to reduce food waste and address food poverty. We are an app/web-based platform that allows users to pre-order meals for collection, priced between £2-£3.80, consisting of food that would otherwise be sent to landfill from partnering restaurants - and I am one of the cofounders. Essentially the lightbulb moment was the realisation that globally one third of all food produced is sent to landfill. UK restaurants sent 600,000 tonnes of edible food to landfill each year yet there were 1 million people on emergency food parcels from food banks in the UK in 2015. These two issues are clearly related yet shouldn’t coexist. Our app is looking to address these two massive issues.

What are your plans for the future? 

Our plan for Too Good To Go is to grow and grow across the UK to ensure that human behaviour and perceptions towards food waste are changed, whilst facilitating social inclusion through affordable meals.

What would be your top tips for current students?

Follow a career that makes you happy and proud of what you are achieving.