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Students embrace the Bristol Big Give Christmas campaign

Press release issued: 11 December 2019

Students from the University of Bristol FoodBank Society have partnered with the city-wide recycling scheme ‘Bristol Big Give’ for a winter campaign to raise vital money for charity, reduce waste, and combat hunger in the city this winter.

This year’s Big Give Christmas campaign has already collected a fantastic 55 bags of donations since launching on Black Friday, 29 November. Over the course of 2019 the Bristol Big Give raised £344,000 for the life-saving work done by the British Heart Foundation, supported 12 local charities and prevented 196 tonnes of reusable items from going to landfill.

Ellen Bradley, President of the University of Bristol Foodbank Society said: "The Big Give Christmas campaign is a chance for Bristol students to join the wider community and support people in need.

“Dropping temperatures and the financial pressures of Christmas can make this time of year particularly difficult for many people in our city and we're really excited to support the North Bristol foodbank by helping them put together their Christmas hampers."

Food and items can be donated at British Heart Foundation donation points set up in student residential halls and around the Clifton campus.

Aside from unopened, packaged and in-date food, people are encouraged to clear out their closets and cupboards and donate unwanted clothing, books, electronics and kitchenware.

Rose Rooney, Sustainability Manager at the University of Bristol, said: “'The Bristol Big Give is a fantastic way to contribute positively to society by donating unwanted goods to charity.

"This partnership covers Bristol and we want to involve students and members of the public alike. It’s key that we all manage our precious resources, promoting mindful consumerism through buying second-hand first and then reusing and recycling as much as we can, to minimise our environmental impact.”

Bristol Big Give is a joint initiative from University of Bristol, the University of Bristol Students’ Union (Bristol SU), the University of the West of England, UWE Students’ Union (UWESU), Bristol Waste Company and the British Heart Foundation.

The Christmas Campaign supports the British Heart Foundation and North Bristol foodbank and will run until the end of January 2020.

Further information

The Bristol Big Give is a year round campaign with peaks in donations at the end of the autumn and summer terms with the aim of improving sustainability in the city, raising funds for the British Hearth Foundation and donating food to those in need, as well as building relationships between the student body and the local community. More information is available on the Bristol Big Give Facebook page and Instagram page.

Find out more about the University’s pledges to ensure our continued commitment to sustainability, our actions, achievements, and how to get involved on our Green University pages.

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