STAFF at Yorkshire Building Society in Oxford are asking shoppers to donate new pairs of socks and other items to help support homeless people.

The building society, which has a branch in High Street, is relaunching its month-long Socktober appeal throughout October.

Rough sleeping has been an increasing problem in Oxford in recent years and earlier this month the city council was awarded £511,000 from the Government’s new Rough Sleeping Initiative to provide at least another 30 bed spaces in shelters.

Donations of new pairs of socks, toiletries and interview clothes plus other items such as woolly hats, gloves, scarves, can be made at the High Street branch.

Lesley Miller, manager of the Oxford branch of Yorkshire Building Society, said: “This is our second Socktober campaign and we are hoping to make it as successful as last year. As well as donations of socks, we are also asking for toiletries, woolly hats, gloves and scarves and each item goes to a homeless person.

“We’re really proud of our partnership with End Youth Homelessness and providing help for young people in need.

Thanks to donations from people in Oxford and across the UK we have been able to help 125 young people into their own rented homes.”

Donations can be made at justgiving.com/socktober18