When staff and students come together from across campus, amazing things happen, and this year’s Christmas Festive Collection was no exception. After putting out a call for toys, toiletries and food, our Teesside University staff responded with enthusiasm and generosity. Over the past few weeks, colleagues volunteered to coordinate collections in their areas, creating eye-catching donation boxes (some impressively creative!) and encouraging steady streams of contributions.

To build on this momentum, we turned the initiative into a Do Good, Feel Good volunteering event, bringing student volunteers and the Volunteering Team together to collect, sort and distribute the donations. Armed with a map of collection points, we set off across campus. It was a fantastic opportunity to chat with different schools and departments and spread a little festive cheer along the way.

With a new appreciation of our wonderful caretaking team (there is a definite skill required in keeping those trollies under control) we collected the donations and brought them back to the Student Life Building. We sorted everything into three piles; toys, toiletries and food and were overwhelmed with how much had been donated.

Once sorted, our caretaking team loaded everything into the van, ready for delivery to the Teesside Charity. Each year, the charity runs a Christmas Toy Appeal to help ensure no child wakes up on Christmas Day without a gift. While Christmas time is magical for many, this is not the reality for all families. In the Tees Valley, one in three children are living below the breadline. For many households, limited resources mean choosing between heating, bills or food, leaving little room for Christmas.

The Teesside Charity, working closely with schools, social workers and key workers, identifies families most in need. This year, donations from Teesside University supported two local schools, Ayresome Primary and Outwood Academy in Eston, helping a remarkable 35 families with hampers filled with food, toiletries and toys to make their Christmas a little brighter.

Rachel Power, Funding Coordinator at the Teesside Charity, shared her gratitude:

“Wow — we are absolutely blown away. We can barely see the flooring in our office! We’re genuinely speechless. Seeing this today really reminded us of the incredible community spirit out there. Thank you”

Our student volunteers were outstanding. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for giving your time to support our community, build connections, work as a team and show real empathy for others. Your contribution made a powerful difference.

If you’re interested in getting involved with volunteering opportunities, email volunteering@tees.ac.uk, we are here to support you every step of the way.