Harrogate Homeless Project, one of the Harrogate Advertiser’s charities of the year, is asking people to pledge money to buy items from a useful shopping list. From snacks to beds for a night, the Christmas Tree Appeal offers the chance to make a real difference to someone’s life.

The appeal will be launched at the Wesley Chapel in Harrogate at the beginning of December. Just £2.50 will pay for a flask for hot drinks while £30 pays for running the drop-in centre for two hours. A donation of £20 will buy 10 foil blankets, £40 buys a bed for the night and £5 provides five people with a shower and a snack.

The Christmas Tree Appeal is the brainchild of Elaine Harrison, Harrogate Homeless Project’s fundraising co-ordinator, who is asking local churches to back the initiative.

She said: “It costs £50,000 a year to run Harrogate Homeless Project over and above the grants they receive. We know that people do want to support the project at Christmas so we came up with the idea of gifts that will last throughout the year.

“So many of us overspend at Christmas – in fact it’s estimated that 30 to 40 per cent of all festive food ends up in the bin. We are asking people to consider swapping one of those unnecessary luxury seasonal food items and pledging the money to our appeal instead.”

Harrogate Homeless Project is a unique service in the district and offers temporary accommodation as well as support in finding a home for local people.

Helen Jacques, project manager, said: “The Christmas Tree Appeal will make a significant difference to the lives of the people who turn to us for help throughout the year. We are unique in that we provide a service for people who have a family or work connection with the Harrogate district, but often through no fault of their own, find themselves homeless. They are someone’s son, sister, neighbour or even school friend.”

To support the Christmas Tree Appeal visit the Wesley Chapel, Oxford Street, Harrogate, from Saturday, December 1, to Friday, December 14, from 10am to 4pm. You can also make a donation to Harrogate Homeless Project at www.justgiving.com/friendsofhhp or, to find out more about the project, go to www.harrogate-homeless-project.org.uk.