FORMER students are donating thousands of pounds to help in research and teaching, plus the support of existing and future generations of university under-graduates.

Old boys and girls, many who have gone on to successful careers on leaving Durham University, are being asked to make donations to assist their alma-mater.

A mini-call centre has been established to tap into the huge alumni pool of ex-Durham students spread round the world.

Current student volunteers staff the centre, for small payments, on a 30-strong rota ringing their predecessors listed in a growing directory of Durham graduates.

Many now lead varying walks of life across the globe, particularly over the Atlantic in North America, but a large proportion are happy to make donations to help the university to flourish.

Durham is not the only university tapping into its huge pool of former students to seek financial support to fund future projects, but few have mastered the art to such effect.

The university's well-drilled fund raising drive is highlighted as a model to others in the Government White Paper on the future of Higher Education.

Generous offers, including a single recent £10,000 donation, are flooding into the university through its latest annual Giving Programme which is targeting 5,000 ex-Durham students, with more than £80,000 pledged just past the half-way stage of the eight-week schedule.

Much is ploughed into Durham's Student Opportunities Fund, which has already built up a £1.2m endowment, mostly contributed by alumni.

A lot of the money raised goes towards bursaries to attract and support talented applicants from neighbourhoods with little, or no university attending tradition.

University vice-chancellor Sir Kenneth Calman said the White Paper outlines a "radical shake-up" of higher education and its funding.

"It makes this telephone campaign even more vital to the future quality of our teaching and research and the overall student experience."

Scott Hayter, an ex-Canadian soldier who oversees the fund raising efforts as director of the university's corporate development and communications, said the call centre volunteers prove "excellent ambassadors".

"They talk to alumni not only about financial support they may be able to give to the university, but also about their time at Durham.

"The telephone conversations also give graduates the opportunity to catch up on the latest developments in their college and department."

Mr Hayter said the annual giving programme will feature heavily in the bid to raise £175m to mark the university's 175th anniversary in 2007, details of which will be announced by chancellor Sir Peter Ustinov in July.