Larkspur Terrace students Tash Finchett, Kate Abery and Eleni Haines are among the latest winners of Newcastle and Northumbria universities’ Best Neighbour on Campus (BNOC) awards.

The universities and their two student unions run the competition to find and reward students who have demonstrated a commitment to being “good neighbours”, as nominated by non-student residents and community groups.

Finchett, Abery and Haines – all geography students at Newcastle University – won the award for their Carrots on the Run initiative that raised money for Newcastle West End Foodbank.

By running 5km every day from 25th October until Christmas Day – and posting daily pictures on Instagram – the girls raised awareness and a total of £6,520 for the charity through their Just Giving page.

Finchett told JesmondLocal: “We focused on the importance of food banks because in the student community they’re not often spoken about. During lockdown, there has been a lot of focus on food and children not getting school meals… it was in the news and in our minds a lot.”

The fundraisers received a large number of online donations. “We got an insane response from everyone. The biggest thing was our social media, our Instagram. So many people commented on it,” said Finchett.

“And it was amazing whilst running around Jesmond. People would beep their horns and smile and just cheer us on, which was really encouraging. It put a smile on people’s faces.”

The “Carrots” told JesmondLocal they feel that students have been getting more involved in charity projects. “Probably because of coronavirus, we’re thinking about those in need a bit more,” said Abery.

“A lot of people have been raising money for big charities like Mind or Refuge, but the fact that we did it for such a local charity meant it felt a bit closer to home and I think that caught the attention of locals,” she added.

“Some of the residents have thanked us and told us how great it is to see students helping the local area. I think some people have a bit of a negative image of students,” said Haines.

Carrots on the Run have now closed their fundraising page, but they urge people to carry on donating to Newcastle West End Foodbank, and other local charities helping food insecurity.

The other student-led initiatives to win the latest award included Molly Mathis-Hall, a Northumbria University student also fundraising for foodbanks, across the north east; Medical Students Helping Hands; the Newcastle University First Responder initiative; and the North East Solidarity and Teaching volunteer group at Newcastle University.

To support the West End Foodbank, follow the link below to donate online or by text.