GRADUATES have donated nearly £200,000 to help current students at Keele University after responding to a mammoth fund-raising telethon.

A team of 28 student volunteers have spent the past three weeks manning phone lines, contacting more than 1,000 alumni from Keele.

Lines closed last night and pledges have ranged from one-off donations to one un-named benefactor who is giving £1,000-a-month for the next year.

Keele is one of a growing number of British universities turning to the telethon idea to generate extra money for student facilities and support.

Giving something back to your old university is big business in the U.S., but now Keele has found many of its former students are willing to dig into their pockets as well.

John Easom, alumni officer at Keele, said: "We've had record-breaking success. Forty per cent of the people we've contacted have pledged a gift and the average has been £166. Most are regular donations such as £10 a month."

Last night the total amount raised was confirmed as £191,500.

Many have asked for their donations to go towards hardship bursaries and scholarships for students from low-income families.

But proceeds from the so-called Keele Key Fund also support a wide range of projects. These have included a revamp of Keele's observatory and creating a courtroom so law students can compete in mock trials.

This year's big project will see an old boathouse by one of the lakes restored.

It is the third year Keele has staged a telethon targeting former students. Mr Easom stressed donations don't go to mainstream activities, such as teaching and mandatory bursaries for the poorest students.

But some students who don't meet the normal criteria for financial support have benefited.

Lucy Hegarty, who lives in Stafford and works as a change manager for Staffordshire County Council, graduated from Keele in 2003.

The 28-year-old has now agreed to donate a regular sum to the university to go towards student hardship bursaries.

Lucy believes people still feel loyal to Keele because of a family-like atmosphere. With most students living on campus, they can mix more easily and feel a part of university life.

She said: "I met my husband James at Keele and we also got married at Keele Hall. Keele works as a community."

Ray Woodfine, aged 72, who lives in Weston, near Stone, did a postgraduate course at Keele in 1976/7 after enrolling as a mature student and went on to become a university lecturer.

He donated £40 to help struggling students and commented: "In my day, finances were slightly easier at university."