BUSINESS in Gwent has rallied round to raise much-needed money for the homeless.

More than 35 individual businesses supported the charity fundraising scheme organised by serviced office specialists Rombourne Ltd.

The Rombourne staff sold mince pies in the run-up to Christmas to clients at their Merlin House business centre at Rombourne Expansion Park, Langstone, near Newport - and collected a total of £120.05. The money was handed over to Shelter Cymru.

Rombourne operations director Ceri Corney said: "Everybody should have the right to a warm bed and and food to eat - and not just at Christmas. So we decided to tap into our clients' generosity to help those not so fortunate as the rest of us.

"The mince pies may have been a festive sweetener, but the fact so many parted with a pound proves that Christmas really is a time for giving."