A MUM-OF-FOUR who found the body of a homeless man in Bournemouth almost two years ago spent Christmas morning handing out gifts to rough sleepers in the town.

Mindfulness and wellbeing teacher Marisa Whitty says she has a "soft spot" for homeless people and wanted to make sure they did not go without gifts this Christmas.

Marisa had befriended homeless man Kevin Filsell before finding his body wrapped in several sleeping bags on January 22 2018.

The discovery led to claims that Kevin's sleeping bag had been removed and sparked a fierce debate about the then Bournemouth council's policies for dealing with the homeless.

Rap star Professor Green even visited the town to voice his disgust but the claims were later proved to be unfounded.

It was later discovered that Kevin had persistently declined offers of accommodation and that he died of pneumonia and a heart condition.

Marisa, from Poole, discovered his body in the Braidley Road car park and has since taken it upon herself to make sure homeless people are cared fore.

Before Christmas she raised £1,000 which all went towards making gift bags for homeless people in Bournemouth, Poole and Westbourne.

The gift bags included socks, a £5 Greggs voucher, tobacco, snacks, clean underwear, a travel mug, and a Christmas card which told them they were cared for.

Marisa said: "I have always had a soft spot for homeless people and have always seen them.

"I came to know Kevin and visited him every morning to give him a hot drink.

"I feel it is a basic human right - we all deserve a drink in the morning. But when I found Kevin's body, it was terribly sad, and it happened on my mum's birthday, so I will never forget the date."

She initially pledged to raise £100 towards the Christmas gifts but managed to far exceed that amount, along with some help from her colleagues at Yarrell School, Poole, charity Soroptimists and Hope For Food, who arranged Kevin's funeral.

Marisa added: "My children and a few other local families helped me to distribute these around Poole, Westbourne and Bournemouth town centre on Christmas morning. We listened to people's stories, gave them a hot drink, a hug and a gift bag.

"I found while fundraising that it wasn't the wealthy people who donated money, but working people, including £200 raised by my colleagues at the school.

"They really got behind me and supported me. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the great many people who donated to this cause."