HOMELESS people “could do with a bit of kindness and a hug,” says a mother of four who sorts and delivers donations for rough sleepers.

Lynne Knight founded not-for-profit organisation Knight Support earlier this year.

Since then she has set up 19 donation centres across Sussex, where people can drop men’s and women’s clothes, underwear, toiletries and bags to pass them on to the homeless of Brighton.

Lynne, who lives in the city, said: “Any help really does make such a difference to the lives of people who really could do with a bit of kindness and a hug.

“We are collaborating with three of the main day centres in Brighton, First Base, Antifreeze and St Anne’s in Kemp Town. They would rather not receive donations directly, so our role is now to co-ordinate donations for all of them.”

Lynne and her team of volunteer “clothing managers”, including Emma Hutchin, Cat Ingram and Helen Love, help to sort, pack and organise the donations and then deliver them to the day centres.

She added: “It is just so amazing as we will be able to help so many more people this way.

“We will be bringing in donations to Brighton and our clothing managers will collect, sort and deliver to the three day centres.

“First Base want us to collect donations from them, organise them and then take things back to take the stress and pressure off in the lead up to Christmas, when everyone becomes more generous as they are more aware of homeless people freezing on the streets and feeling festive.”

Knight Support volunteers collect the donations from the 19 donation centres all over Sussex, in places such as Hove, Chailey, Worthing and Peacehaven.

The donations are distributed to the three day centres and at the Knight Support outreach evening, which takes place every Wednesday evening at the Peace Statue in Hove and the Madeira Lift in Kemp Town.

It coincides with the weekly sandwich, coffee and hot dog kitchens that take place from 7pm.

Lynne said: “We have put in an application to become a registered charity and have to wait 40 working days and we should then be official.

“This will mean we can start fundraising and are desperate to find premises, so if anyone out there could help us we would be so grateful.”