Pre-loved clothes, books and kitchen utensils that might otherwise have been thrown away have helped raise a staggering £1m for the British Heart Foundation.
The annual Student Moving Out Campaign, an initiative led by the Student Community Partnership (SCP), encourages students who are leaving their homes at the end of the academic year to recycle any good quality pre-loved items correctly.
The campaign has been running for over a decade in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation’s annual Pack for Good campaign with Bath & North East Somerset Council first getting involved in 2015.
Donated items provide stock for the British Heart Foundation shop in Bath and are sold to help fund life-saving research into cardiovascular disease.
2025 was the most successful year to date with the donated items raising just under £209,000, bringing the total raised since the campaign launched to more than £1m.
Councillor Mark Elliott, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “It’s worth celebrating this level of partnership working between the council and the universities and colleges. This is a fantastic achievement and I’d like to thank everyone who donated and helped make this the most successful year to date.
“The items left in the 15 temporary donation points around the city centre this summer raised an incredible £150,675. In line with our zero waste strategy, this work helps increase recycling and promotes a circular economy – where rather than throw products away we keep them in use for as long as possible.”
The SCP is a partnership of the University of Bath, Bath Spa University, Bath College and their students’ unions and with Norland College and Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Professor Cassie Wilson, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Student Experience and Sport), Bath University said: “We’re very proud to be part of the Student Community Partnership and to see the incredible impact of this initiative. Reaching the £1m milestone reflects the commitment of our students and partners to sustainability and community support.”
Professor Rebecca Schaaf, Senior Pro Vice Chancellor at Bath Spa University, said: “We’re delighted to have played our part in reaching this brilliant milestone, funding the important work of British Heart Foundation and encouraging more sustainable choices. BSU continues to hold sustainability as one of its core values and embeds this across the board.
“For over a decade we have supported the Pack for Good initiative, encouraging recycling activity across the city, and we look forward to helping it to reach even more milestones in the future.”
Tim Reeves University Account Executive at BHF, said: “Far too many of us have felt the pain of losing someone we love to cardiovascular disease, the world’s biggest killer. We are incredibly grateful for the support from the student community partnership which helps British Heart Foundation (BHF) power groundbreaking research to save and improve lives.”
ENDS