A LOCAL business has sourced, bought and donated 100 coats for homeless people living on the streets in Bradford.

Family firm Sagars 365 Conservatory Roof Insulation, based at Lawkholme Lane, Keighley, has teamed up with local youth enterprise company AllStar Ents who volunteer with homeless people in Bradford, providing essential support which intensifies during the colder months.

Kaela Shuttleworth of AllStar Ents said: “We have seen a rise in the number of people living on the streets year on year and the facilities to rehome and provide shelter are already at capacity. Ensuring that those without shelter have warm clothes and blankets is essential.

“While the weather gets colder, homeless people have nowhere to wash or dry any of their clothing, so if they are wearing something that gets wet then it becomes really difficult to stay warm.

“This applies particularly to coats, as well as sleeping bags and blankets, so we are always in need of any items that people can donate.

“We were overwhelmed by this incredibly generous donation from Nick and the team at Sagars. Having this amount of quality warm coats will really help us to help those that need it most, and we can be sure that all of those we work with will benefit.”

Kaela added: “Donations like these are vital to help those who are sleeping rough on our streets. People have found themselves homeless for a variety of reasons, from falling behind in rent, not being able to afford basic living expenses, having issues with family members.

“We want to help people not only with article support but to show them that people around them do care.”

Nick Berard, managing director at Sagars 365, saw first-hand the local street homelessness issue whilst passing through Bradford and contacted AllStar Ent to discuss how he could help.

Nick said: “As a local person with a local business, I found it quite overwhelming to see the intensity of the local homelessness issue.

“Seeing first-hand the number of rough sleepers, I wanted to find out how we could help on a practical level, and were really pleased to be able to make this donation.

“My wife and I gave out the jackets with Kaela and her team this week which was a great opportunity to meet people and listen to their stories first hand and show them that people really do care and want to offer support in different ways.”