Yorkshire Building Society colleagues in Llanidloes are asking the community to ‘sock it to them’ by donating new pairs of socks to help keep homeless people warm this winter.

The society is launching its month-long Socktober Appeal throughout October as part of its charity partnership with End Youth Homelessness (EYH) and to raise awareness of World Homelessness Day on Tuesday, October 10.

Donations of new pairs of socks, plus other items such as woolly hats, gloves, scarves and toiletries, can be made at the Llanidloes Yorkshire Building Society agency, at Milwyn Jenkins & Jenkins on Great Oak Street.

An estimated 83,000 young people in the UK are homeless and, according to the Youth Homelessness Databank, 157 young people in Powys received some homelessness support from the local authority in 2015/16.

Adrian Foulkes, proprietor of the Yorkshire’s Llanidloes agency, said: “It’s shocking that so many people have nowhere safe to call their home.

“As the weather turns colder we want to do what we can to help keep them warm and that’s why we’re launching our Socktober appeal.

“A lot of us may take having a clean pair of warm socks to wear for granted but for a homeless person without a proper roof over their heads it’s the last thing on their mind.

“As well as socks you can also donate hats, scarves, gloves and small sets of toiletries to our appeal – and every single item will go to a homeless person.

“We’re really proud of our partnership with End Youth Homelessness and providing help for young people in need. We can’t thank people in Llanidloes enough for their continued support.”

EYH is a national movement to end homelessness among 16 to 25- year-olds in the UK.

The agency is also raising money for EYH by running a raffle to give people the chance to win John Lewis vouchers worth £1,000, £500 and £250.

Through the course of the society’s three-year partnership with EYH it aims to raise £750,000 to support more than 700 homeless young people into their own rented homes.

The money raised is funding a bespoke Rent Deposit Scheme, home essentials grants and practical help for homeless young people across the UK.