The University of Manchester was a finalist in the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) 2022 Heart Hero Awards, held on 1 December. We were nominated as BHF Sustainability Partner due to our dedicated partnership work with the charity on the ‘Give It Don’t Bin It’ campaign, which encourages students to donate at the end of the academic year rather than dispose of their unwanted items.

Along with Manchester Student Homes, Manchester City Council and Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Manchester has been involved in Give It Don’t Bin It since 2012, which has resulted in the campaign raising £3,707,657 for the BHF. This money has contributed towards life-saving heart research. The student donations have resulted in 2,118,661 tonnes of unused items being diverted from landfill – that’s the equivalent of 12,504,637kg CO2 emissions. In 2022 alone, led by Dale Pullin from Residential Services, the University has raised an astounding £103,796, which has significantly contributed to the Manchester partnership initiative.

The University is also the charity’s most successful partner to have student-led BHF pop-up shops on campus. Kirsty Hutchison from the Division of Student and Academic Services has developed and implemented a volunteer project in partnership with the charity and Alliance Manchester Business School, to encourage business students to run their own BHF pop-up shops. The project began in 2019, with the students volunteering in competing groups. The students are given a minimum monetary target to raise from the stock they sell, ensuring the BHF receives a return on investment. Following a break due to the pandemic, the initiative returned in 2022 with two student groups competing against each other. Each group was given a target of raising a minimum of £500 each, yet together they raised £3,166.20.

Amanda Purkiss, University Account Manage at the BHF said: “The University of Manchester have been an integral partner since 2012 raising over £1m through our student move out campaign. The University of Manchester continually support with activities to support students, the BHF and local community by hosting events such as pop-up shops on campus encouraging students to think about fast fashion versus reuse. These events have gone on to raise an additional £20,000. We wanted to thank University of Manchester by nominating you for a heart hero award for your ongoing partnership with the BHF and your commitments to sustainability.”