THE frost has “thawed considerably” between students and fellow Bournemouth residents, a meeting heard.

The verdict came from a smiling Anson Westbrook, head of the Winton Forum, after hearing about the “fantastic” work of Bournemouth students.

He was one of the guests as the student union (SUBU) gave its annual presentation.

The achievements included a record £73,828 for charity – compared with a previous record of £30,000.

Union president Toby Horner admitted he got a “frosty” reception at a residents meeting two years ago.

But SUBU has worked hard since then and Mr Westbrook said relations had improved and the charity effort was “huge”.

The Raising And Giving (RAG) society raised the money with fun fundraisers. The highlight was Leggit, where students had 36 hours to get as far away as possible with help from strangers – some ended up in Egypt.

Four core charities got £3,200 each – Dorset Victim Support, Dorset ME Support Group, Meningitis Research Foundation, and the Wessex Autistic Society.

Lauren Ellis, SUBU’s head of fundraising, noted: “In the student world, giving £1 is like giving £10.”

The union’s work to build links with residents – including making a DVD about how to live together – has now won it a nomination for a National Union of Students award.

The evening’s presentation also highlighted work on campaigns like the student fees protest.

It took 150 students to the November demonstration and organised a letter-writing campaign to lobby Dorset’s MPs.

Other good news included a recession-bucking 20 per cent increase in takings at the Old Firestation, the SUBU venue at the Lansdowne.