Deeley Group donates fleeces and jackets to Helping Hands

Fleeces, sweatshirts and jackets have been donated by a Midlands construction and property development company to support vulnerable people in Leamington this winter.

Deeley Group has donated more than 80 items of clothing to Helping Hands Community Project, which will support people who are homeless and living in poverty.

The Coventry-headquartered company undertook a full rebrand earlier this year and was left with shirts, polo shirts, jackets, sweatshirts and fleeces which could no longer be used by staff.

Staff at Deeley Group approached Dressability, a charity based in Swindon, to de-brand the clothing and ensure that the clothing, which is new and still in perfect condition, did not go to waste and could be donated to Helping Hands Community Project.

The clothing has now been delivered to the charity, which was set up in 2015 and is based across Kenilworth, Leamington and Warwick and supports those in need by providing food and other essentials, as well as opportunities to attain new skills and qualifications.

Lianne Kirkman, Founder of Helping Hands Community Project, said: “This donation will be gratefully received by Helping Hands and our vulnerable clients. It comes at the perfect time, heading into the winter months as fleeces, sweatshirts, and shirts will offer much needed warmth as the weather turns.

“Deeley has been a huge supporter of Helping Hands since the charity launched and we are extremely proud and grateful of the partnership that has been established and maintained over the years. We look forward to continuing this in the future.”

Dressability is an independent charity which alters and adapts clothing for people with disabilities and the elderly, supported by 20 volunteers who donated 1,124 hours of time last year.

Sharon Tombs, Manager at Dressability, said: “Every year companies across the country throw away clothing and by working with our de-branding service this is a fantastic way for Deeley Group to ensure none of theirs went to landfill.

“It has been fantastic to work with Deeley Group on this project and we would strongly urge other businesses to consider de-branding to ensure brand new clothing which could be really valuable to vulnerable people in our society doesn’t go to waste.”

Eleanor Deeley, joint Managing Director of the Deeley Group, said: “We are proud to have been able to support two charities through this project and that we are able to support vulnerable people in Leamington too.

“When we were rebranding, we knew we didn’t want any of the clothes we had to go to waste, as they had never been used before, and we can’t thank Dressability enough for the fantastic job they have done in debranding the clothes.

“Helping Hands does incredible work across our region and we are pleased to be able to support them again with this donation.”