STUDENTS at Glasgow Caledonian University have been hard at work over the festive period collecting and handing out donations for homeless charities around city.

Busy helpers have been collecting items all across December for homeless charities in the Glasgow, with the university's social care society devoting entire weeks to

As well as common items such as winter clothing being donated, the group have also been concentrating on collecting items that would normally go missing from parcels.

Heather Scott, a second-year Social Care student and Vice President of Glasgow Caledonian’s Social Care Society, said: “We now have free tampons and pads in the toilets at university so why shouldn't homeless people be able to access free sanitary items too."

Donations were being given to lesser known charities in the city, as Heather explains that the students felt that these were the ones lacking in help from donations.

"We've focused on smaller charities and have been been working with Maslow's Community Shop in Govan and Help 4 The Homeless who have been coming in to collect parcel that we've made up.

"It was important to us that these smaller organisations get the support they needed too, especially over the difficult winter period too."

The success of the scheme has encouraged the students even more to continue the idea for years to come.

"A lot of students are keen to get out themselves and hand out parcels, and having the charities come into classes and talk about their work. Christmas brought the issue to out attention, and after the success so far, we'll definitely be looking at doing it again."