ELDERLY people have been collecting items to keep the homeless warm his winter.

Clothing, blankets and sleeping bags, along with wet wipes and dental care products have been stuffed into handbags for street sleepers.

They have been collected by over 100 residents at Johnnie Johnson Housing Association in County Durham and Gateshead.

Scheme manager Lynn Smart, who works at Boulmer Court in Chester-le-Street, said: “I was clearing out my cupboards, it was freezing and I started to think about the homeless so I asked our ladies if they had anything to donate.

“I was looking at the handbags and I thought instead of just giving them those we could fill them with toothpaste and deodorant and little things like that to make it easier for them.

“The residents have been absolutely brilliant. We have got loads of stuff.”

Residents from Leuchars Court in Birtley and Blenheim Court in Gateshead have also taken part in the initiative.

The collection has been donated to the homeless charity Changing Lives.

Claire Ciura, who work on the charity’s exclusion team, said: “This is huge for us because things like this are really in demand at this time of year. It is all going to a good cause.”