An Abergavenny-based recycling scheme looking to help the homeless has netted £1,000 of funding thanks to Persimmon Homes East Wales.

Homemakers Community Recycling was selected as part of the housebuilder’s Community Champions scheme.

Persimmon Homes’ Community Champions initiative is a national programme where charities and groups can apply for funding up to the value of £1,000 to match money they have already raised themselves. Nationwide the company will donate a total of £750,000.

The organisation, based at The Chapel, Union Road West, says the money will go towards its campaign ‘Keep The Homeless Warm’ with focus on homeless people in Cardiff.

The recycling service, which is voluntary based, collects items of clothing that have been donated for recycling and offers them to those without shelter in the city.

It says it will use the £1,000 for a storage unit for donated clothes.

Rob Davies, Assistant Manager of Homemakers Community Recycling, said: “This year Homemakers launched in partnership with Helping the Homeless in Cardiff, ‘Keep The Homeless Warm’.

“We have been carrying out house clearances for a number of years and find many items including clothing and bedding that we have no market to sell and we’re simply recycling them.

“One of our staff noticed a plea for help by Helping the Homeless in Cardiff and that’s when our vision for starting Keep the Homeless Warm was born.

“The money from Persimmon Homes is welcome and means we can buy a storage unit to put in our yard. It enables volunteers to place items in there until we are ready to dispatch them to our partners to hand out.”

Victoria Williams, sales director for Persimmon Homes East Wales, said: “Homemakers Community Recycling has worked very hard in the local area for the good of the environment. Their efforts have now extended to the homeless in Cardiff and we wanted to help their cause in anyway.

“As always it was a difficult decision to select our Community Champions but I would encourage any charity or organisation that missed out this time, even if they have won previously, to apply again.”

To apply people can visit www.persimmonhomes.com/charity.

Persimmon Homes East Wales is building in Abergavenny at The Meadows development off Merthyr Road, Llanfoist. Prices start from £149,995 with 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes available.

For further details on this site visit www.persimmonhomes.com

Homemakers Community Recycling can be contacted on 01873857618 for collections, clearances or information on drop offs. More information on the charity based in the Workhouse area of Abergavenny can be found at their website www.hmcrecycling.co.uk