THE University of York has become the first in the country to launch its own crowd-funding platform.

YuStart will use social media to allow students to raise money for ideas and projects with the backing of the university.

Those who fundraise through the platform will also receive advice on website content and social media campaigns. Kallum Taylor, president of the university’s Students’ Union, said: “With such a wide range of opportunities and activities on offer at York, gaining enough funding can sometimes be quite difficult and so YuStart will be a new and creative way to help solve this problem.”