Record-breaking year as ‘Pack for Good’ campaign raises £200k for BHF

More than £200,000 has been raised for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) thanks to the generosity of students and the local community, who have got behind this year’s ‘Pack for Good’ campaign.

Kalyn Mallard (SCP); Mike Gale (UoB); Ed Lloyd (BHF); Alison Selwa (BHF); Sara Cundy (Bath Spa); Karen OíDonoghue (BHF); Cllr Shaun Stephenson-McGall (BANES); Cheri Donohue (BANES); Tim Rawlings (BANES)

The BHF initiative, spearheaded by the Student Community Partnership (SCP), a joint venture between the University of Bath, Bath Spa University and Bath & North East Somerset Council, is designed to encourage students to part with unwanted items as they prepare to leave student accommodation and to cut down on waste.

Building on success from previous years, over 14,000 bags were donated from 1st April – 30th September this year. Items ranged from books, to clothes and DVDs.

These are now being processed by partners at local BHF stores and proceeds from sales will go towards funding life-saving research into all heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors.

Kalyn Mallard, Community Liaison co-ordinator from the Student Community Partnership explained: “We’re delighted with the success of this year’s ‘Pack for Good’ campaign in Bath.

“Our record-breaking year shows just what can be achieved through a collective effort to increase donations.”

Chair of the Student Community Partnership and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching) at the University of Bath, Professor Peter Lambert, added: “This is a fantastic achievement by Bath students and local residents on behalf of the British Heart Foundation.

“My thanks to everyone who donated and all those involved in this year’s campaign. We look forward to working together again in 2019.”

Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University, Professor Sue Rigby, said: “We are thrilled to have helped raise so much money for such a worthy cause – the British Heart Foundation do incredible work, and the ‘Pack for Good’ initiative has proved a really simple, yet successful way to assist their fundraising.”

University account manager for the BHF, Ed Lloyd explained: “Thanks on behalf of the British Heart Foundation to students and members of the local community in Bath who have helped to make this year’s ‘Pack for Good’ campaign such a success.

“The monies raised for sales on donations will help to fund future life-saving research.”

Around 7 million people live with heart and circulatory disease in the UK, and the conditions are responsible for more than one in four deaths each year.