Kind-hearted Student Roost residents reach £200,000 milestone in donations for charity

University students from all four corners of the UK have raised over £200,000 for the British Heart Foundation without even leaving their accommodation, by donating preloved belongings they no longer needed.

Residents and team members at Student Roost, which provides accommodation for over 20,000 students across the UK, took part in the British Heart Foundation’s ‘Pack for Good’ campaign by donating clothing, electrical items, books, and kitchenware that they didn’t need any more.

In the 2020/21 academic year alone, Student Roost residents and team members donated 22 tonnes of good quality unwanted items, equivalent to the weight of 3.6 African male elephants. After being sold in British Heart Foundation stores across the country, these donated items have already raised an incredible £38,355 for the charity.

Student Roost properties have been supporting the charity since 2015, with the company becoming a national partner in 2021. The donations in 2020/21 have brought the Student Roost fundraising total to £209,090, with 119 tonnes of waste diverted away from landfill (or the equivalent weight of 20 African male elephants!).

Packing bags and donation boxes were provided to residents at over 50 Student Roost properties as far and wide as Aberdeen, Swansea, London, and Belfast. Regular collections were arranged to ensure donations could be sold in British Heart Foundation stores throughout the busy summer period, to give them a new home and raise vital funds for the charity.

Launched in 2012, the British Heart Foundation ‘Pack for Good’ campaign, in collaboration with universities across the UK, encourages students who have finished their studies, or who may be moving to different accommodation, to donate any unwanted items to help raise much needed funds for the charity, and avoid tonnes of clothing and other items being sent to landfill.

Around 7.6 million people in the UK live with heart and circulatory disease, and the Coronavirus pandemic has had a significant effect on those who require lifesaving treatment. With the money raised by Student Roost and universities across the UK for the ‘Pack for Good’ campaign, the British Heart Foundation are able to fund a heart attack research project for one month, laboratory equipment for a two-year project, new developments and scientists in a heart failure research lab, and support the studies of a PhD student.

Jason Andrews, Director of Operations at Student Roost, said:

“We’ve partnered with the British Heart Foundation to promote their Pack for Good campaign since 2015, and we were proud to become a national partner in 2021. Each year I’m amazed by the dedication of our team members and residents to help raise funds for this incredible charity and divert unwanted items from ending up in landfill sites that are already at capacity.

“I’m so proud of our teams across the UK who have helped Student Roost raise over £200,000 for the British Heart Foundation to date, and we are determined to increase this amount through our continuing support.”

Tim Reeves, University Account Executive at British Heart Foundation, said:

“Each year we are blown away by the amount of donations Student Roost receive from students and universities across the UK.

“Through the reuse and recycling of donated items, this helps prevent 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere. By donating their items to the British Heart Foundation, students are helping the BHF save 71,000 tonnes of goods going to waste this year alone.

“Every item we sell in our shops, homes stores and online via our eBay and Depop shops will help us to continue to fund our vital research and support the 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK.”

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Editor’s notes

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Information about Student Roost:

Student Roost is one of the largest student accommodation providers in the UK, and is rated highly by students themselves. Over 21,000 students across the UK live with Student Roost in 20 cities around the United Kingdom (22 cities from 2022/23). In 2020, it was named Student Accommodation Operator of the Year at the RESI Awards and Operator of the Year at the Best in Class awards.

Student Roost:

• doesn’t take any rent until student loans arrive;
• offers 24/7 customer service support from helpful and caring onsite teams;
• includes all bills in rent, including superfast wifi;
• offers a wide range of payment plans to suit individuals’ circumstances;
• doesn’t apply any fees for moving rooms/late payment;
• offers flexible tenancy lengths, putting residents in charge of when they move in;
• doesn’t require international students to provide a UK guarantor;
• offers a range of communal spaces, and puts on social events to build communities and experiences; 
• offers incentives for rebooking and referring friends, as standard, not as a gimmick

For more information, visit www.studentroost.co.uk

Information about the British Heart Foundation       

• Each year, British Heart Foundation (BHF) shops and stores raise millions to help the BHF fund lifesaving research into all heart diseases, stroke, vascular dementia, and diabetes.     

• The BHF has over 710 shops and stores across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland including 520 high-street shops and over 190 Home stores, which this year will sell around 25 million donated items.     

• The BHF eBay shop is set to sell over 330,000 high value and unusual items this year, which will help raise funds for research into heart and circulatory diseases.     

• This year, the BHF will save around 71,000 tonnes of goods from going to waste, by selling over half a million pieces of living room furniture, including 250,000 sofas and 14,000 tonnes of preloved clothes. Through the reuse and recycling of donated items this helps prevent 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere.     
• Since launching its Depop account, the BHF has become one of the top sellers on the site and has a five-star rating, with over 13,000 followers helping to raise funds for life saving research.      

• Each year, the BHF has around 17,000 retail volunteers who generously gift their time, however its shops are always in need of volunteering support. Nearly a quarter of employed retail positions are filled by those who have previously volunteered for the BHF. To find out more visit: bhf.org.uk/elf     

• To find your local BHF shop or browse online please visit bhf.org.uk/shop.         

• You can post your donations for free to the BHF by downloading a postage label online and dropping it off at your local Collect+ store. To download your label visit: bhf.org.uk/postyourdonations.        

• With donations from the public, the BHF funds ground-breaking research that will get us closer than ever to a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases. A world where broken hearts are mended, where millions more people survive a heart attack, where the number of people dying from or disabled by a stroke is slashed in half. A world where people affected by heart and circulatory diseases get the support they need. And a world of cures and treatments we can’t even imagine today. We are backing the best ideas, the brightest minds and the biggest ambitions – because that’s how we’ll beat heartbreak.