University staff donate gifts to charity

Exeter University staff have donated thousands of pounds to charity after it was named University of the Year.

Exeter was awarded the title by the Times Higher magazine earlier this year, and each member of staff had the option of receiving a gift or donating the £25 cash value of the item to St. Petrocks charity for the homeless. Many employees opted for the latter, resulting in a cheque for £8,000 being presented to St. Petrocks, which is based in Exeter.

Stuart Franklin, Head of Press and PR at the University, said, “Staff were given a small gift worth £25 as a thank you for their efforts in getting Exeter into the top twenty universities.

“The University has been subject to a great deal of change over the past five years, which has meant a lot of extra work for staff. Staff could choose from a number of gift options, for example chocolate, wine or books, or to donate the money to charity. A sizeable number decided to donate the money to charity, which was very generous of them.”

St. Petrocks has been established for more than ten years, and specialises in working with homeless and inadequately housed people. Backing from the local community currently makes up 24% of its income. It receives support from such organisations as The Royal British Legion and HMP Exeter.