Meet our new friend Niamh - she just dropped by with a stack of clothes for the women we support

Our latest donor, Niamh Hulett

A well-wisher has made a welcome and timely donation to our clothes bank - and we would like to publicly thank her.

Earlier this week, Niamh Hulett called in on the project with a bag of clothing, including some lovely dresses.

Our clothing bank is one of the most popular services we offer to the most vulnerable women we encounter.

They love to come here for food, a shower and a change of clothing.

Crucially, the time they spend with us helps us get to know them better, gain their trust and ultimately work out what we can do to help them.

Unfortunately, from time to time, clothing stocks run low and we have to tell the women we can't help them.

Niamh said: "I knew about the New Futures Project because my sister was a volunteer here a few years ago.

"She told me all about what it does and how it helps so many women.

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Avril Lewis, our crisis support manager, with items for our clothing bank earlier this year.

"In a world that thrives and pushes overconsumption, it’s important to remember what is accessible to you is not that easy for others.

"If you’ve grown out of an item of clothing or you're just clearing out your wardrobe/home you should always consider where could it benefit or help someone else before just throwing it away.

"This also pushes towards the importance of community and supporting those around us."

At the moment, we are particularly keen to hear from people who can donate warm winter items such as coats, jumpers/cardies, woolly hats, scarves, socks, shoes/boots, as well as blankets and sleeping bags.

Avril Lewis, our crisis support worker, said: "We're always grateful for donations like this. Niamh has made a very meaningful contribution

Apart from clothing, here's a rough guide to the kind of donations we need regularly:

• Deodorant (roll-on)

• Shower gel

• Dry shampoo

• Shampoo

• Conditioner

• Antibacterial hand gel

• Water wipes

• Feminine wipes

• Tampons

• Sanitary towels

• Toothpaste

• Toothbrush

• Body cream

• Breakfast bars

Contact us and we will be happy to tell you how to make a donation or support us in any other way.

If people would like to drop off a donation, we'd urge them to call us on 0116 2510803 to arrange a day and time. We are open Monday to Thursday.

We are in London Road, just a short distance up the road from Leicester railway station.

We may be able to collect too. Again, please call us for a chat.

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.