People in Leicestershire having a January clear out of clothes, furniture and gadgets can help the homeless by donating them at branches of Hinckley & Rugby Building Society.

The Society will kindly pass all items to Emmaus Leicestershire & Rutland to sell in our Hinckley shops and online. The funds raised will help Emmaus house and support people plus provide work for as long as they need to get back on their feet.

Hinckley & Rugby is welcoming donations at its branches at Lutterworth, Coalville, Broughton Astley, South Wigston and Hinckley’s Castle Street. Anyone with a larger item to donate can request it be picked up from their home by Emmaus.

Donated items will be distributed to our charity shops in HinckleyThe Emporium at Stockwell Head and La Boutique at Castle Street – and our eBay store at ebay.co.uk/usr/bouti.emmau

People helped by Emmaus Leicestershire & Rutland are referred to as companions and live at Elm Lea in Hinckley, a former hotel where each has their own room and bathroom.

Hinckley & Rugby treasury manager Sophie Allinson is coordinating the collections and said: “We want to both support the charity and make our members aware of the work Emmaus does. They are offering a fresh start to people, a home, work, new skills and support for as long as it is needed, not simply a bed for the night. If you read the companions’ stories online or go into the shops and have a chat with them you instantly realise what a real gem in our community it is and why it’s so important it is supported.

“A collection of goods to sell seemed like the perfect way to raise more awareness of the charity in the local communities and to also generate stock to keep the shops bringing in the funds to support the charity’s plans to support more companions.”

We’re extremely grateful to the Society for continuing to think up new ways to help Emmaus. Our charity shops rely on local people donating things they no longer need, so the Hinckley & Rugby branch collections will help us continue to offer vital support to formerly homeless people. We hope that by working together, we’re also doing our bit to offer people an easy alternative to taking unwanted quality items to the tip, especially as we also offer to pick up larger items from homes or businesses.

The collection is the latest initiative by Hinckley & Rugby in its ongoing partnership with Emmaus Leicestershire & Rutland. In December staff volunteers raised more than £3,000 for the charity by sleeping out for a night in the Society’s car park in Hinckley.

Last autumn Hinckley & Rugby launched a new Charity Assist Mortgage, which homebuyers can choose knowing they will be helping homeless people move into a home and full-time work. The Building Society donates £250 to Emmaus for every Charity Assist Mortgage taken out.

To book a free collection for furniture items visit: emmaus.org.uk/leicestershire-rutland/free-furniture-collection