SDG 1 - No Poverty - End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Give to Refresh – On 20 February 2020, Bucks New University and Bucks Students’ Union announced that staff and students were joining forces with the Beauty Banks charity to help local people living in hygiene poverty. Launching its Give to Refresh initiative, Bucks became the first university community in London and the south – and only the second in the UK – to set up a public donation point so that local residents and businesses can also get involved. This initiative builds on the University’s mission to transform lives - from developing our students’ full potential to making a positive impact to the environment and in our communities. Beauty Banks links donations of personal care and hygiene products for women and men to local registered charities (including food banks, homeless centres, refuges and secondary schools) so that what’s donated locally, stays local.Jo Jones, co-founder of Beauty Banks, said: Thanks to keen and active supporters like Buckinghamshire New University we are able to support more people in our communities living in hygiene poverty who need a hand-up.” High Wycombe retailers Lush, Waitrose and Boots supported the project with donations of products. We were delighted to collect 443 products on launch day and a total of 886 items before the campuses closed because of Covid-19 restrictions. These items will be shared directly with local charities registered with Beauty Banks, and the Students’ Union has worked with their charity partners to raise awareness and encourage registration. News of the Give to Refresh was shared on both the University’s and Bucks Students’ Union’s websites to raise awareness with the wider community. The Bucks Free Press backed the Give to Refresh campaign and announced they were joining forces with the University and Students’ Union as our media partner.Students from our BA (Hons) Film Studies course made a film about Give to Refresh to help publicise the initiative. Katrina Wood, Leader of Wycombe District Council, described Give to Refresh as ‘a fantastic scheme to be involved in and I commend the University’s initiative in setting them up.’
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The campaign was launched to staff on our intranet and we kept staff updated as donations were made. Positive feedback included: ‘Great
initiative!’; ‘Brilliant, I have lots of unused items in need of a good home!’; ‘Looking forward to making a difference to others’; ‘Proud our University is setting up the town’s first Beauty Banks donation point’; and ‘Well done for making it so easy for us to support Beauty Banks’ great work.’ – Bucks Hardship Fund provides discretionary financial assistance for students to help them access and remain in higher education. It is particularly aimed at those students who need financial help to meet specific course and living costs that cannot be met from other sources of support. The fund can provide emergency payments for unexpected financial crises. Payments are usually given as grants, which do not have to be repaid. Up to £3k per year of study, per student and £150 per week for students with parental responsibilities, per year of study. – We offer loans to students on a short-term basis, usually for one month, which are interest free. The maximum short-term loan amount is £50 a week or £100 a week for students with parental responsibilities or a disability that prevents them from working.
