A HOMELESS shelter which supports vulnerable people in York has received a welcome gift of hundreds of bedding items and towels.

Drax Power Station has donated the essentials to Changing Lives York which helps ex-rough sleepers and those at risk of sleeping rough, many of whom suffer from complex issues.

Covid restrictions meant that Drax Power Station needed to provide on-site ‘sleep pods’ for workers to use between shifts during an annual maintenance outage to keep everyone safe and the work on track.

A number of items went unused and so the power station’s facilities team arranged for them to be donated to Changing Lives whose service manager James Ford said: “Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the support we are able to offer residents.

"The lockdown has reduced our ability to provide certain specialist services, at a time when even more people are vulnerable and struggling.

“Donations of essential items like bedding and towels are vital to keep our costs down and provide residents with a good quality living environment. Drax’s donation will be shared between our men’s and women’s homeless shelters as well as two other hostels in York.”

The donation from Drax included more than 180 duvets and 100 towels.

Bruce Heppenstall, plant director, said: “I hope the donation of these items will help the residents at Changing Lives York feel more comfortable this winter. Drax has a long history of supporting local charities and it is important that we continue to do so especially at the moment.

“Many charities are struggling from the ongoing effects of the pandemic, which is impacting their ability to fundraise and provide services to vulnerable people.”

Changing Lives York offers residents not only a place to stay but also the chance to make positive changes in their lives through one-on-one support and purposeful activities, helping to prepare people to move on to the next stage of York’s re-housing network and eventually an independent life.

During the pandemic, Drax has supported the communities it operates in through a number of initiatives, including donating more than 850 laptops with internet access to schoolchildren across Britain who were unable to learn from home, supplying free energy to 170 care homes and backing a business debtline to offer support for small businesses.