Students have raised funds for a suicide bereavement charity by upcycling tins for National Apprenticeship Week.

The group of nine Gen2 Business Administration apprentices chose to create 'desk tidies', plant pots and more from old cans in a bid to support their nominated charity, Suicide Bereavement Support.

And the Lillyhall-based Two Times Tins team's business proved a huge success, with 140 old baked bean and tuna cans being transformed and sold, raising over £700.

“This was such a fun project to work on!" team member, Anya Marshall said.

"It wasn’t all smooth sailing, and we experienced some hiccups along the way, such as the spray paint having a really patchy effect instead of the consistent finish we were hoping for, but we improvised and found workable solutions, by using Hessian fabric, for instance."

She added: "The plant pots sold out super fast and we wish we’d made more of them. The most incredible thing was that we worked so well as a team and, despite the pressure, there were no arguments!”

“The best part of it was that we raised such a large amount of money for the charity. We decided to run a raffle and we’d like to thank the local businesses which provided some incredible prizes.”

Thanks to their hard work, the caring team came second in the Entrepreneurial Challenge against other teams, who also donated the proceeds of sales to their chosen charities.

Anya explained why the group chose to support Suicide Bereavement Support, and said: "We chose this charity mainly because it’s local, and because suicide is such an issue in Cumbria.

"Statistics prove that Cumbria has one of the highest suicide rates in the UK. It’s extremely important that loved ones affected by suicide get the bereavement support they need.”

SBS offers four self-help support groups across Cumbria, where those left behind by suicide can meet with other people in a similar position, providing a space to listen, share and connect with others.

Donations to the team's tin can project are still being accepted at www.gofundme.com/f/two-time-tins.

If you have been affected by suicide and need someone to talk to, call the SBS helpline on 07572 975721 for John, or 07896 703757 for Karan.

Alternatively, you can email the team at hello@sbs.org.uk.