Students Raise £230k for charity

Students across Manchester rose over £230,000 for British Heart Foundation (BHF) by giving away unwanted items as they left for the summer.

Manchester City Council joined forces with universities and the British Heart Foundation to run this campaign.

Charity collection bags were distributed to students and they were encouraged to donate any unwanted items normally left for the rubbish.

Almost 17,000 bags were collected this summer—almost double that collected last year in the same campaign.

The items ranged from books, shoes and clothing to hairdryers and rice cookers. All the funds raised from the sale of these have gone to The British Heart Foundation which fights one of the UK’s biggest killers.

The scheme began in 2009 and it aims to both encourage students to take responsibility for their belongings and be charitable students.

The Council, University representatives and the BHF have all been very vocal in their gratitude towards the charitable heart shown by the students across Manchester.

Councillor Bernard Priest, Manchester City Council’s deputy leader, said: “The amount that was collected this summer was truly staggering, and it’s a tribute to the efforts of Manchester students that so many items will all now go to help fight one of the UK’s biggest killers.”

Sophie Leigh, Manchester Metropolitan University’s Sustainability Engagement Manager, said: “We are thrilled that this initiative has raised such a fantastic amount of money for a very worthy cause and helped to make the city greener at the same time.

Our students really embraced the idea of recycling their unwanted possessions for charity, and we hope this campaign will go from strength to strength.”

Alexander Clark, Environmental Coordinator at The University of Manchester, said: “Each year more and more of our students actively engage with this campaign, which is great to see how many students understand the importance of supporting charities.

“It is a very busy time during the end of year, but the fact that students take their responsibilities to donate unwanted items instead of landfilling them is a great step forward for the city.”

Catherine Argyle, BHF Regional Stock Generator, said: “We’ve been delighted with the response from students and residents in Manchester and their overwhelming support.

“Each BHF shop needs to receive 400 bags of unwanted items a week and thanks to generous donations from the residents, students and university staff in Manchester, we have been able to help our shops in the city.

“Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer, shattering the lives of too many children, parents and grandparents.”