Christmas is a traditionally a time for giving, particularly to the less fortunate members of society, but one homeless man was prepared to hand over everything he had.

The man, named Robbie, offered a 22-year-old student £3 to help her get home safely after a night out - and now she is hoping to raise enough money to help him off the streets.

Dominique Harrison-Bentzen, who studies at the University of Central Lancashire, has so far raised over £9,000, after asking people to donate £3 each in a bid to help Robbie put a deposit on a flat so that he will have an address to seek work.

And today she is spending 24 hours "homeless" in the streets of Preston, in order to raise awareness and better understand Robbie’s plight.

Ms Harrison-Bentzen was queuing up for the cash machine in Preston city centre in the early hours of 4 December when she realised she had lost her bank card. Seeing her plight, Robbie offered her £3 for a taxi.

Although she didn’t take the money she set out to find out the man's identity and discovered that he had been homeless for seven months.

She then decided to set up a Facebook and Twitter account, as well as a fundraising page to try and help Robbie.

Writing on her gogetfunding page, Ms Harrison-Bentzen said: “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.

She added: “That’s when I decided to change Robbie's life and help him, as he has helped many others.”

Ms Harrison-Bentzen is hoping to raise a total of £12,500.