Can you help us keep women safe and warm when winter hits?

We want to build up our stock of winter clothing. (Picture by Wix)

It's the time of year when we begin to build up our stocks of good quality winter clothing, blankets and sleeping bags.

The fear of losing women to the cold weather comes around every year and it's only a matter of a couple of months before temperatures begin to fall rapidly.

The women we support, particularly those who are sleeping rough or who are drifting from address to address, are especially vulnerable.

Even those who have who have places of their own are at risk because they can’t simply afford to heat them adequately.

Our clothing bank is provided by our drop-in team and is one of the most popular services we offer.

Women come to drop-in to get a hot meal, a shower and to do their laundry. They leave with items from our clothing bank, as well as toiletries, hygiene products and other everyday essentials.

This time they spend with us is vitally important because it helps us get to know them better, gain their trust and ultimately work out what we can do to help them now and in the long-term.

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Drop-in manager Louise adds items to our clothing bank.

Louise Cook, who manages drop-in, said: "At this time of year especially for our vulnerable clients who are homeless it can be very cold and wet.

"We like to make sure we are keeping them warm as much as we can so any donations would be greatly appreciated.

"We are in great need of coats, scarves, gloves, fluffy socks, and big jumpers.

"Thank you in advance for any help you are able to offer to support our lovely ladies who are in need."

If you think you can help us, get in touch. In some cases we can arrange collection.

Otherwise, there is good parking nearby for those who would like to drop off their donations to our office.

The New Futures Project offers a comprehensive welfare and counselling service for women and young people dealing with sexual abuse or exploitation, domestic violence, trafficking, poverty and debt, substance use or mental ill-health.

Call us on 0116 251 0803 or send us a message at: info@new-futures.org.uk

You can find us at 71 London Road, Leicester, LE2 0PE.