A BOURNEMOUTH-based charity dedicated to helping rough sleepers has been given a boost thanks to a donation from a shopping centre.

Sally Harvey's AOK Rucksack Appeal is set to provide even more support for homeless people in Dorset thanks to a £1,000 grant from Saxon Square Shopping Centre in Christchurch.

The fund - part of the centre's annual community donation campaign - will support the start-up charity, which at Christmas distributed more than 150 rucksacks containing essential items to those living on the street.

This year, the charity hopes to expand its network and offer programmes to encourage personal development amongst homeless people, including poetry and choral activities, in a bid to encourage those on the streets back into society.

Founder Sally said: “It’s all about getting to the root of the problem at the earliest possible opportunity.

“Our goal is to ensure the newly homeless don’t stay homeless for long. Getting help to people right in the early stages, when a person may be facing that terrifying first night on the streets, gives us the greatest chance of turning a life around.”

Saxon Square Shopping Centre’s annual community donation campaign, which supported Christchurch Lifesaving Club in 2014, aims to find worthy groups and organisations in the local area to benefit from the £1,000 cash boost, as part of the centre’s ongoing commitment to giving back to the surrounding community.

The centre, with support from its 30 high street and independent stores, launched the annual search in December and received more than 70 entries from local groups.

Manager Bryan Taylor said: “The work Sally and the team deliver at AOK Rucksack Appeal is marvellous and certainly deserving of commendation.

"We’re proud to have been able to help support them through Saxon Square Shopping Centre’s community donation campaign, and look forward to seeing what difference the grant makes."

Sally said: “It’s the little moments that make all our efforts worth it.

"At Christmas, one gentleman came to us petrified at the prospect of his first night out in the elements.

“We sorted him out with a rucksack and sleeping bag, but more than anything it was our being there in general; the friendly face able to say ‘we’re here if you need us’ that provided the most comfort. He was so grateful, and that really stuck with me."

She added: “We very much appreciate the donation from Saxon Square Shopping Centre and will begin using it right away. First on the list is developing our poetry project. We hope to produce a book of all the poems written by those involved."