NEARLY 100 people were saved from sleeping on Bournemouth’s freezing streets over the worst of the winter months, a charity revealed.

BCHA says its Winter Watch programme – to help vulnerable people shelter from the coldest temperatures – helped 99 people from November to February.

The scheme created an additional 10 bed spaces per night meaning that 50 people could stay at the St Paul’s shelter on the bitterest of evenings.

St Paul’s manager Nathanial Major said: “BCHA are pleased to have helped 99 people survive the cold through our Winter Watch scheme. We would like to thank everyone who helped make the scheme such a success.”

Helpers included volunteers from Faithworks Wessex and BCHA, who arrived each night to turn the day centre into a dormitory, making up beds on mattresses and serving hot food.

Nathanial also thanked members of the public who donated food and clothing and those volunteers who gave up their time to help guests to work through some of the problems they have, such as substance misuse or mental health issues.

• To find out how you can help BCHA visit bcha.org.uk/donations-and-support