A COMMUNITY organisation is celebrating a successful initiative which brought vital winter clothing to those in need in Reading.
Reading Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership (RBCRP) has announced that it was able to provide more than 900 items of clothing, including hats, fleeces, coats, and scarves.
It comes after the return of the Winter Warmer initiative, which sees a pop-up donation point where members of the public can give surplus winter wear.
Donations are then free to collect for those who need them.
The initiative is a collaboration between RBCRP, Reading Borough Council’s Community Safety Partnership, Network Rail and Great Western Railway.
It also saw support from John Lewis, who provided rails and hangers, Citizens Advice, who offered free consultation on energy to attendees, The University of Reading and its student union, who donated items and provided volunteers alongside Make-A-Wish UK.
Volunteers were also provided from Launchpad, Reading’s homelessness charity, and South East Community Rail Partnership
They collected around 145 bags of donations from the public during the two-day collection.
As well as the 900 items given away, three bags full of winter coats were also donated to the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Dress for Dignity Room, and three boxes of jumpers, hats, and children’s gloves were donated to The Cowshed.
Lucy Lomax, of the Reading Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership, said: “A special thank you goes out to all the wonderful individuals and businesses who donated good quality clothing– we couldn’t have done it without you!”
