With Winter 2014 set to be the coldest in 100 years, County Mayo based company Portwest are donating new winter-wear to three charities helping in the fight against homelessness. The Peter McVerry Trust, the Cork Penny Dinners Organisation and  Focus Ireland along with its newest charity store ‘Beloved at Focus’ are set to benefit from Portwest’s donations to help keep those in need warm this Christmas.

With recent figures finding there are over 5,000 people in Ireland homeless at any one time, Portwest are increasing their level of donations to charities this year. Along with this, the family-run business will be running a special online initiative from Friday, December 12^th to Monday, December 15^th where they will donate a coat or jacket for purchases made on www.portwest.ie to the charities.

Owen Hughes, Managing Director of Portwest says “We’re saddened to hear that homelessness is rising across Ireland. We are passionate about supporting our local community and for many years have donated new clothing to local charities and will continue to do so. This year, we want to help more people across Ireland and ensure that those most in need have warm clothing ahead of what is a difficult time of year.”

The Peter McVerry Trust, Focus Ireland and The Cork Penny Dinners in Cork City will receive a donation of clothing valued at over €10,000 which will be distributed to those who use their services. Further to this Focus Ireland’s new charity store ‘Beloved at Focus Ireland’ will sell items from the Portwest’s premium Heritage Collection in their recently opened charity boutique store in Malahide. For the next three months, Portwest will supply a monthly donation of items to the shop and all funds raised go directly to the charity.

Anne Marie Connolly of The Peter McVerry Trust explains “365 individuals are accommodated each night by the Peter McVerry Trust, and more than 3,500 people have been supported through PMVT’s range of services to date this year . We are very grateful to receive the generous donation of coats from Portwest. It’s an extremely useful gift and greatly helps us in our work offering assistance and support to those who are experiencing homelessness this winter.”

Based in Westport, Co. Mayo, Portwest is Europe’s most leading supplier of durable work-wear, personal protective equipment, safety footwear and stylish outdoor leisurewear.

See www.portwest.ie / @PortwestIreland