Students give gift of the GAB

GABlist 
03 Jun 2011 13:51:37.603

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Determined to repay the hospitality they have received from their communities, students from The University of Nottingham are to donate useful but unwanted items to local charities before leaving for the summer.

The annual ‘Grab-a-Bag’ campaign, run by the University, Nottingham City Council and The Lenton Centre, sees students fill bags with anything that they cannot fit into their cars or no longer require.

Young volunteers from the Lenton Centre’s Activ8 Uth Project will be delivering empty Gift Bags and leaflets to addresses all over Lenton urging students to get involved.

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Bulging bags can either be taken directly to the Lenton Centre or picked up during two collection days from outside houses on selected streets.

Items will then be organised by staff and volunteers ahead of a collection day, taking place at the Lenton Centre on Willoughby Street from 10am-1pm on Saturday 11 June. During the morning local residents and charities will be able to take their pick from the donated goods.

Last year a mountain of goods was donated, with items including everything from tinned soup to Christmas lights. Nicci Robinson, a youth leader at the Lenton Centre, is hopeful of receiving a similar haul this year.

She said: “At the end of each academic year, thousands of students leave the area for the summer. With them, they take their laptops, books and many good memories of Nottingham – but they leave behind enough food to feed a small nation, enough stationery for a school, and enough furniture to suggest that students alone are the sole supporters of IKEA. All this and so much more is discarded in the final week of term, ‘Gift of the G.A.B.’ aims to change that.”

Melanie Futer, Manager of Off-Campus Student Affairs for The University of Nottingham, added: “This is an excellent project where the community, university students, young people and the elderly can all benefit.

“Many items which the students leave behind when they have finished their studies here in Nottingham can be recycled, and we are delighted that City Services are able to collect the reusable goods. It’s another way of showing that – in addition to volunteering for local schools and neighbourhood projects – students can make a really positive contribution to their adopted community.”

The collection day event is completely free, and refreshments will be provided.

—Ends—

Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.

The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.

The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.

More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news  

Story credits

For more information please contact Melanie Futer, Manager off Campus Student Affairs, The University of Nottingham at melanie.futer@nottingham.ac.uk
Harry Waddle

Harry Waddle - Students Communications Officer

Email: harry.waddle@nottingham.ac.uk Phone: +44 (0)115 823 2353 Location: University Park

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