Public Services students at Ashton Sixth Form College have been fundraising for local food banks. 

As part of their course, students take Unit 33: Volunteering in Public Services. For their unit, they chose to create an initiative that would support local people in the surrounding area. Previous Public Services students have also visited and worked with the local food bank. 

This year, students recognised the hardship people have experienced due to the ongoing pandemic. As a result they decided to try and collect as much food as possible to continue to support Tameside East Foodbank.

Students set up a refuse point in Costa Coffee, a central drop off point for staff and students to join the initiative and donate any food they could.

The response from across the college was astounding. It wasn't long before the refuse bin started to fill and the food started coming in. 

After the students had achieved their goal, the food was dropped off at Tameside East Food Bank. It was at that point the team truly realised how much difference the donations would make. Queues were already forming at the food bank and it really hit home how their efforts would be received.

The food bank stated that they expected the donations to provide food for at least 40 individuals or 10 families.