A Douglas woman has launched an island campaign to collect warm winter clothing to send to refugees in Europe.

Zoe Thompson is organising the Mannin Cloak Appeal, and hopes people use their New Year’s clean outs of their wardrobes to help others less fortunate.

The campaign is in conjunction with a UK-wide appeal, Coats for Calais, and is a follow up to the 2016 campaign which saw island residents donate 1,000 teddy bears for Syrian children.

Mrs Thompson said: ’I have a strong belief in the generous Manx spirit.

’I hope people realise just how lucky we are.’

First getting involved in wanting to aid refugees after watching news stories on TV, Mrs Thompson says her desire to help people was strengthened following a visit to the refugee camps in Calais and Dunkirk where she met many ’kind and generous people.’

She added that the demolition of the camp in Calais suggested the problem would go away. But she protests this view, stating: ’People think it’s gone, but it hasn’t.

Mrs Thompson also found online trolls and negativity a great motivation, deciding that ’rather than arguing online, I was going to use that energy positively’.

She also praised Nicky Bryan, managing director of Edward Bryan Removals for the company’s ’huge support in transporting everything over to the UK.’

She asks that all coats, be they for men, women or children, be clean, warm, have working zips and/or all the buttons attached.

Most of the coats will be going to Belgium or France with some remaining in the UK going to Shelter, the UK homeless charity.

Any donations can be given to Noa Bakehouse or Edward Bryan Removals in Douglas, Mother T’s in Laxey, Balance Health Clinic in Peel, 22 Scarlet Road in Castletown, 21 Ashgrove in Ramsey or 4 Ballacubbon Close in Ballabeg by January 20.

For further information, contact [email protected]