Students and staff from City of Bristol College have been collecting new pants, socks and other items in a drive to help homeless people in Bristol over the Christmas period.

Held in partnership with Business in the Community, the ‘Pants for Christmas’ campaign saw staff and students collect 16 black bags and boxes of items, including underwear, toiletries, nearly new blankets, coats, hats, scarves and gloves.

The Julian Trust

The items will be donated to the College’s Charity of the Year, The Julian Trust, together with £300 which was also raised during the campaign.

Joe Brown, a trustee and volunteer for the Julian Trust, commented: “These items donated by City of Bristol College will go a really long way towards helping many of the homeless individuals who visit us throughout the year.”

vTalent

Students working towards a Community Volunteering qualification through the College’s vTalent programme were involved in the campaign. They delivered the donation boxes to College centres, visited the Julian Trust Nightshelter, collected donated goods then sorted and bagged the items before handing them over to the collectors.

vTalent student Melanie Archibald commented: “Being involved in this campaign has really helped me to think about those who aren’t as fortunate as I am. By collecting clothes and other practical things, I hope we’ll make a difference to the lives of some of the homeless people in Bristol.”