Over a tonne of clothing, bedding, kitchen and homewares, and store cupboard essentials have been donated by University of Winchester students to help people in need in the city, as part of the University's annual Bag It Up campaign.
Items no longer needed by students heading home for the summer have been given a second life, benefitting charities including Winchester Basics Bank, The Winchester Beacon, Trinity Winchester, Hampshire Paws and Emmaus.
Students living in on-site accommodation collected over 175 bags of donated items, generating nearly 750kg of clothing and footwear, 150kg of kitchenware, and nearly 120kg of unopened, non-perishable food items. Duvets, pillows, and cushions were donated to animal rescue charity Hampshire Paws.
University of Winchester Waste Minimisation Officer Ellie Rundle-Johnson explained: "With sustainability a top priority here at the University of Winchester, our annual Bag It Up campaign aims to divert reusable goods from our waste streams, saving money and reducing our carbon emissions.
"This year we are very proud that over a tonne of items no longer needed by students have made their way to great causes in the local community to provide donations that really help their work and support people in need."
Nancy Judge, of The Winchester Beacon, said: "The donations we have received at The Winchester Beacon via the University's Bag It Up scheme have already made a huge difference to the people we support. When moving two residents into their own accommodation in recent weeks, we were able to supply them with donated pans and other equipment for their new homes. We are really grateful to the University of Winchester and their students for their ongoing support for people experiencing homelessness in the city."
"Winchester Basics Bank is grateful to the students and staff for another wonderful Bag It Up campaign," said Sam Watts of Winchester Basics Bank.
"The donations of surplus food, kitchen items and clothing are already being passed to people in need of a little extra help, including refugees, local people, and families or individuals in temporary accommodation. It's great to be able to reuse items, rather than letting them go to landfill, with the bonus of being able to help people facing difficult times. Thank you to all involved."
Photo above shows University of Winchester Porters Paul Strickland and Kevin Vaughan delivering donated items to The Winchester Beacon.
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