THOUSANDS of donated clothes are helping to keep the vulnerable warm this winter, thanks to a month-long campaign which was spearheaded by a Newport action group.

Pride in Pill launched the Wrap Up Newport campaign on November 1, and its members spent last month tirelessly collecting clothing - mainly coats, jackets and tents - for refugees, elderly people and the homeless.

The group worked in partnership with London-based charity Hands on London, which have run their Wrap up London campaign for the last eight years.

After working round the clock, the group has now revealed that they have collected a staggering 2,348 coats.

Project manager of Pride in Pill, Tariq Khan, said he was pleased with the donations.

“We managed to capture the imagination and hearts of everyone,” he said.

“The whole Pride in Pill team and everyone involved are extremely proud and we have exceeded all expectations.

“The project was very full on and we all gave our 100 per cent to getting clothing. We are now able to rest.

“All of this stuff is going to help lots of people across Wales.”

He added: “Having collected 2,348 coats is amazing. We have not yet counted the rest of the items.”

And chairman Paul Murphy echoed similar remarks.

“We were out most hours of the day trying to get clothes,” he said.

“We wanted to get as many bags of clothes as we could.

“There is a lot of people out there who need help.”

Pride in Pill also arranged for businesses and premises, such as Asda and Castle Bingo in Pill, to act as drop-off points for donations.

Mr Murphy said he was “taken aback” by the level of support that they received.

“People of all ages wanted to give us what they had,” said the Pill resident.

“There were young and old people donating hats, gloves, shirts and other stuff.

“I felt taken aback when I saw the people wanting to help others.”

Mr Murphy also said that the donated items are starting to be given to charities to help those in need.

“My flat has been full for weeks with more than 50 bags,” said Mr Murphy.

“The items need collecting from my flat and the other drop-off points.

“Donations to some places, like The Salvation Army,The Olive Branch,The Welsh Refugee Council and Cyfannol Women’s Aid, have already started.”

He added: “I want to thank all the volunteers for helping us.

“I want to say thanks to volunteers Tracey Jones, Taz Khan, Imran Ali, Shabir Hussain, Ayessha Khan, Robert Jones. There are lots of others too. What we have collected is going to help a lot of people who are in need.”

For more information on Pride in Pill’s activities, visit the link https://www.facebook.com/pamurpaol/