A group of first year students from Robert Gordon University are hoping to score top marks by raising money and awareness for housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland.

Kathryn Steele (18), Gerda Sazbo (20), Rachael Snowie (19), Charlotte Thielmann (19) and Chloe Tuck (18), who are studying a Creative Industries Module, were tasked by their lecturer to put on a fashion exhibition in aid of a charity of their choice. But, there was one catch: all the items in their exhibition had to be sourced from the charity they had chosen.

Kathryn Steele, said: “We were really excited about this opportunity to be creative and do some good at the same time.

“We instantly thought of Shelter Scotland because they help so many people in need – but also because we know their shops always have something exciting to offer. We wanted to be creative and welcomed the challenge to reuse pre-loved items in a new way.

“The outfit we’ve created is sourced head to toe from Shelter Scotland shops in Aberdeen. Altogether it cost just £9. It proves that if you’re looking in the right places, there are chic bargains to be found.”

The students hope to raise money for the charity at an exhibition on 13th April at Robert Gordon University’s Business School foyer.

Kathryn added: “We hope that our outfit is a hit on the night of the exhibition and we’ll be out in force collecting donations for Shelter Scotland. While this has been a great learning experience and a really fun part of our course, we hope to raise enough money to help as many people as possible. That’s what it’s all about.”

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “We’re honoured that Kathryn and her fellow students have chosen to fundraise for Shelter Scotland.

“Just £10 can ensure that one of our expert advisors is able to answer a call from a family or individual at risk of homelessness. Every penny the students raise, along with money raised from every sale in our network of shops across Scotland, goes towards helping families and individuals facing bad housing and homelessness.”

Every 18 minutes a household in Scotland is assessed as homeless. That’s 81 a day.

In Aberdeen, 6,060 households approached Aberdeen City Council for help with a housing or homelessness problem in the last year, while 1,282 households made a homeless application.

There were also 429 households in temporary accommodation – between them they housed 59 homeless children.

The exhibition will run from 13th April – 27th April, 5pm - 7pm at the Business School Foyer of Robert Gordon University.