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Kind-hearted students and staff at West Nottinghamshire College have donated a host of sleeping bags and waterproof rucksacks to the homeless to help them keep warm and dry this winter.

The donation came after they responded to an appeal by Mansfield-based recruitment agency TurnerFox, which called on local businesses to purchase a sleeping bag to ease the plight of rough-sleepers this Christmas.

A three-day fundraising campaign by the Students’ Union at the Derby Road campus, Mansfield, involving cake sales and a raffle with prizes including meals-for-two in college restaurants Refined and Relish, plus collections by students and staff in the computer science department, raised almost £355.

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In December, the college handed over 15 thermal and waterproof sleeping bags and three waterproof dry bags to representatives of TurnerFox, purchased from local branches of Sports Direct and Millets, who gave generous discounts on the items to support the students’ fundraising efforts.

The cake sale and raffle, which raised a combined £255 towards the final total, was led by Students’ Union (SU) members Callan Kemp and Josh Levy, both 17.

Music technology student Callan, the SU’s events champion, said: “As soon as we heard about the appeal by TurnerFox, we simply had to get involved. Homelessness is a massive issue and it’s awful to know there are people in our communities who will spend Christmas and winter on the streets. By providing them with warm and waterproof sleeping bags and rucksacks to keep their belongings in, we hope this at least makes life a little more comfortable for them during the harsh conditions.”

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