University donations bring a little Christmas cheer

Teesside University staff and students have shown their generosity by collecting for two festive appeals.

A huge range of food, toiletries, clothing and children’s essentials have been donated to Nightstop Teesside and the Mary Thompson Foundation.

Nightstop Teesside provides accommodation and support for young homeless people aged between 16 and 25.

The Mary Thompson Foundation supports people who are in the UK legally, but are not allowed to work and can’t be returned to their home country for legal reasons.

Jayne Villiers, Teesside University’s Volunteer Co-ordinator, said: 'This is the sixth year we have run our Christmas appeal and yet again we are delighted with the response from staff and students at the University.

'Nightstop Teesside and the Mary Thompson Foundation do fantastic work and I am pleased that we have been able to help them in some way.'

Jane Cavana, Manager at Nightstop Teesside, said: 'We are delighted with the donations. It means that every single young person that stays with us receives a bag of toiletries. It may not sound like a lot, but it is a huge help. Donations like this save us around £3,000 a year, which for a small charity like Nightstop means a great deal.'

Alison Butters, Nightstop Teesside’s Volunteer Co-ordinator, added: 'We are exceptionally grateful and it is extremely heart-warming to see this level of donations from staff and students at Teesside University.'

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