Tesco donates 3,000 warm coats for children, charities and food banks across Northamptonshire

Tesco is stepping in to help families struggling with the cost-of-living after donating 3,000 new F&F coats to families throughout Northamptonshire.

The supermarket met with the Salvation Army and Fareshare at the Salvation Army’s depot in Wollaston to hand over 2,000 coats to the Salvation Army and 1,000 to food charity FareShare, who will then distribute the warm clothing to its network of foodbanks, charities and community groups throughout Northamptonshire and the UK.

Lindsay Boswell CBE, chief executive at FareShare, said: “With millions of people struggling to make ends meet as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, this generous donation of winter coats from Tesco will be a huge help to so many.

"A lot of the charities FareShare supplies food to also provide wraparound care for the people accessing their services, so we know that there is a great need for warm clothing ahead of the expected cold snap.”

The van load of warm clothing arriving at the depot included new pram suits for babies, zipped jackets and padded coats for all ages, ranging from toddlers to teenagers in a variety of styles and colours.

The Salvation Army depot at Wollaston is no stranger to a visit from Tesco as last Christmas the retailer donated 3,500 new toys to the Salvation Army providing them with toys for all ages including nursery age, toddlers and older children.

Kirk Bradley, head of corporate partnerships for SATCoL, the trading arm of The Salvation Army, said: “We are extremely grateful for the donation from Tesco.

"The Salvation Army are responding to the needs of people up and down the country who cannot feed their families, heat their homes or pay their bills.

“This support from Tesco will go towards helping young children who may otherwise not be able to afford a coat.”

Jan Marchant, CEO F&F Clothing at Tesco, said: “With more cold weather set to come in the weeks ahead, we wanted to support families who may be struggling to afford new coats for their children.

“We hope that by making these items of warm clothing widely available through our charity partners, we can help more children to enjoy comfortable and fashionable coats without worrying about the price tag.”