London: SVP prepare survival kits for street homeless

Some of the SVP team on Sunday

There were mountains of socks, gloves and hats in the hall of St James, Spanish Place in London last night, as SVP members gathered to begin packing survival kits to give to rough sleepers this winter.

"Last year the names of 146 homeless people who died were read out at a service in St Martin-in-the-Fields in Tralgar Square during Remembrance Week. The Met Office is predicting another very cold winter, so we hope to reach as many people as possible with these kits," said a spokeswoman.

Each 'Vinnie Pack' contain a warm hat, gloves, socks, toiletries, thermal blanket, and information card. They will be available for sale for £3 from some churches, bookshops or by post. People can also sponsor packs.

Siobhan Garibaldi, from the SVP, said: "People talk about the need for systemic change, and successive governments have tried to deal with the problem of homelessness. In the meantime, the numbers of people sleeping rough is increasing. We have been working with homeless people since 1844 and hope that this practical initiative will make some people's lives a little more comfortable.

The scheme is launching next week but the SVP already had requests for packs from across the capital from central London to west London, Hackney and Hertfordshire.

If you would like to order some Vinnie Packs or sponsor a pack that could be given to a rough sleeper, please send a donation to: SVP, 46 Brunswick Court, Regency Street, London SW1P 4AE. Donations can be gift-aided.

For more information please contact: Siobhan Garibaldi on 07929 490090 or Jo Siedlecka on 0207 267 3616/07720 819 479