A charity that works to help the homeless transform their lives has been handed a donation for £1,000 from developer Persimmon Homes.

Warming up the Homeless was founded seven years ago to offer a complete service to the most vulnerable members of the community in the Bexhill-On-Sea area.

They now work with 1,400 men, women and children every week, and offer everything from food parcels to advocacy, literacy lessons and traditional housing support.

Trudy Hampton, CEO of the charity, said: “We are the first stop for people who are homeless and want help getting housed. We want to do more than that, we want to offer the whole package so people feel they can get back to work and be part of our society.

“One of the projects we run is a cooking club so people can learn how to prepare fresh meals on a budget once they are in their new home. We are grateful to Persimmon for this donation which will allow us to run that service from our Hastings Day Centre for three months, and give people that sense of worth once more.”

The donation came from Persimmon’s Community Champions scheme, designed to create a lasting legacy in our communities.

Chris Lewis, Technical Director at Persimmon Homes South East, said: “The team at Warming up the Homeless do so much more than simply offer housing support, they help tackle the issues that lead to homelessness including unemployment, mental health issues and substance abuse. We are honoured to be able to support them in continuing their vital work within the community.”

Cllr Doug Oliver, Leader of Rother District Council, said: “Persimmon’s community grant scheme is well received and a facilitator to support local communities. I know our community is very grateful for this very generous support.”