More than 700 people in Greater Manchester will receive warm clothing in time for the coldest Christmas period.
Human Appeal’s first ever ‘Wrap Up Manchester’ campaign has been hailed as a huge success as more than 700 homeless and vlunerable people across Greater Manchester are set to receive warm clothing and coats in time for the coldest Christmas period.
The campaign which aimed to collect old and unwanted coats from members of the public and give them directly to those in need in Greater Manchester during the winter months has surpassed 1,000 items.
The campaign saw a surge in donations in the final few days after prominent campaigners made last minute pleas for coats just before Greater Manchester was hit with some of the worst weather seen for decades.
In total, more than 1,000 items were donated including over 700 coats and 300 jumpers, scarves, blankets and sleeping bags.
Today former Manchester MP turned sole opposition councillor John Leech went back to Human Appeal’s Safe Store base to help sort out and bag up over 1,000 donated items ready to be handed out to Manchester’s homeless and most vulnerable.
Speaking at the campaign’s HQ today, John Leech said: “It has been truly heartwarming to see the number of donations here today and the effort people have gone to… including dry cleaning!
“It has really hit home in the last few days with all the bad weather and how cold it has been just how important the work of charities like Human Appeal is, and how incredibly important it is that vulnerable people across Manchester have something warm to wrap up with over the Christmas months.”
Over the course of the campaign, Greater Manchester’s top Liberal Democrats John Leech and Jane Brophy visited Human Appeal’s centres to donate clothing, speak to organisers about how they could support the charity’s work and raise the campaign’s profile.
Liberal Democrats’ Greater Manchester Mayoral candidate, Jane Brophy, has pledged to increase support for the charity’s work if elected next May: “It’s clear that their work is changing the lives of the most vulnerable across Britain, and if elected as mayor of Greater Manchester I will work hard to ensure Human Appeal gets significantly more support to continue carrying out their vital work, particularly here in Greater Manchester.”
Human Appeal is a humanitarian aid charity based in Manchester, whose work ranges from combatting homelessness to supporting refugees, will be following up the emergency aid they provided to victims of the floods that hit the UK in December last year. As one of the UK’s fastest growing charities, they have a presence in 25 countries, spanning Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, they help in times of crisis and deliver sustainable development programmes in the world’s poorest nations.
Human Appeal’s CEO, Othman Moqbel, said: “Human Appeal are so thankful for everyone who donated a coat, we have exceeded our target. The generosity show is truly touching and there will be over 700 souls on the streets of Greater Manchester warmed by your donation.
“We’d like to thank councillors John Leech and Jane Brophy for donating their coats and helping to raise the profile of our campaign.”
