KIND-HEARTED volunteers have come to the aid of families in need by helping to protect them from the cold this winter.

The annual Winter Warmers scheme was held at Dovercourt Fire Station, in Fronks Road this week.

Volunteers handed out warm clothes, bedding and boots to some of the most vulnerable families in the town.

Fire crews generously allowed the initiative to run out of the community room at the station as the first Winter Warmers pop-up shop.

Les Nicoll, who runs the initiative, said: “There is clearly a huge need for this service in Harwich and Dovercourt.

“In our first day we handed out 700 items to 70 families.

“We had a massive wealth of items to give thanks to many charitable donations.

“I would like to give a special mention the people at the Cliff Hotel.

“Despite all they are going through with the closure at the moment, they have donated lots of bedding and quilts to us from the hotel.

“Even at what must be a horrible time for them they are still thinking of us.”

By the end of Wednesday, more than 250 people had visited the station, with around 2,000 items handed out.

More than 150 quilts and items of bedding were distributed alone .

Mr Nicoll said: “Halfway through the week we had already helped more people than we did last year.

“Donations have been off the scale.

“We handed out a mountain of good quality new and second hand winter coats, jumpers, trousers, suits, shirts, pyjamas, dressing gowns, warm children’s clothes for all ages.

“There were also quilts of all sizes, quilt covers all sizes, sheets, pillow cases and pillows, blankets, even the odd curtains and table cloths.”

Mr Nicoll said the initiative would continue next year, with a seemingly never-ending demand for the service.

“As we move into the winter of 2017 there are still so many people in our community with no winter clothes,” he said.

“The phenomenal response to the initiative this year shows that.

“Many families and individuals are we aring totally inappropriate clothing for winter.

“People are sleeping without proper quilts or under worn out and soiled bedding.

“Children are being bullied because of poverty within their family - a poverty clearly displayed by the clothing on their backs.

“Within my role I constantly visit homes with elderly people and worse still children sleeping on mattresses on the floor covered by worn out and soiled quilts.

“Even though this is now a fairly common sight, I still walk away ashamed, upset and unable to believe that this happens in our communities in 2017.”