Donate your old jackets and coats to help the vulnerable

DUNDONIANS are being encouraged to donate their old coats and jackets to keep the most vulnerable in the city warm this Christmas.

Dundee in the Community is running a jacket appeal today at the Dundee FC club shop and items collected will be handed out to those in need next week.

Greg Fenton, manager of Dundee in the Community, said it was more important than ever before to give those who need it an extra helping hand.

He said: “We will be having a jacket collection outside the club shop where members of the community and supporters can hand in their old jackets and coats, anything they have in their wardrobes.

“One woman is even coming down to donate 17 jackets.

“Something like this is crucial in Dundee because fuel poverty is on the rise in this economic climate.

“Many people in Dundee can’t afford enough electricity and are living in the cold, so something like this could be vital for them.

“With the winter months it is now getting colder outside and snow could be on the way in January and February and we don’t want people to be falling ill.

“We all have to be extremely careful with coronavirus but we can’t take our eye off of other illnesses because they have not stopped spreading, they are still out and about.”

Greg says he is hoping people will have lots of things to donate after having a wardrobe clear out during lockdown.

He added: “We will take anything, as long as it is in a decent condition.

“We know a lot of people have had clear outs during lockdown and they might hopefully still have bags of coats around the house, so please take them down to the club shop.

“There are a lot of vulnerable people out there and we want to help them.”

The jacket collection will take place outside the Dundee Direct club shop at Dens Park between 11am and 1pm today.

Greg with Valerie Roberts and Chez Lesley and 11-month-old Lucas-Jak from the Walk and Blether group who presented jackets the group collected.