Dominique is raising money to repay the kindness of a Preston rough sleeper

A Preston student has raised more than £2,000 in her campaign to find a home for a Preston rough sleeper.

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Dominique Harrison-Bentzen, 22, studying fashion and brand lifestyles at the University of Central Lancashire wants to repay an act of kindness from a homeless man in the city.

Robbie came to her rescue when she had lost her bank card in the early hours and had no cash to get home.

Dominique said: “A homeless man approached me with his only change of £3 and insisted I took it to pay for a taxi to make sure I got home safe.

“I didn’t take the money but I was touched by such a kind gesture from a man who faces ignorance every day.

“So I set on a mission to find this man, the more I spoke about him the more kind gestures I learnt about such as him returning wallets untouched to pedestrians and offering his scarf to keep people warm. I was lucky enough to find him again and his name is Robbie, he has been homeless for 7 months through no fault of his own and needs to get back on his feet but cannot get work due to having no address.”

The Miss Preston 2015 contestant is now planning to spend 24 hours on the streets of Preston to experience life through Robbie’s eyes.

She said: “On Tuesday I will be spending 24 hours through the day and night as a homeless person to understand the difficulties they face each day.”

Dominique is calling on Prestonians to sponsor her £3 each and the money will be used to collect a flat deposit for Robbie.

An online fundraising page* has been set up with the total already standing at more than £2,000 towards a target of £2,500.

Have you donated to help Robbie? Let us know in the comments below

*Dominique has advised us online payments are not currently working via Paypal due to an error at their end