CHRISTMAS came a little early for the homeless community.

Volunteers have spent the past month collecting unwanted clothing and topping up on toiletries to dish out to those less fortunate.

The plan was organised by Brighton woman Simone Bishop, along with her foster mother Miranda Ellis and their friend Terry Peckham.

Simone said that she wanted to do something about homelessness after returning to Brighton after spending four years away.

The 24-year-old said she was shocked when she returned to see the number of people living rough in the city.

“The difference in the number of people that were on the streets was ridiculous,” she said.

“I had a family member who was homeless in Brighton and know some friends who are on the streets so wanted to do something about it.”

The number of donations received for the cause was so great it filled an entire storeroom.

Then 20 more kind-hearted volunteers helped bag up the presents and hit the streets to hand them out.

The organisers used word of mouth, leaflets and posts on Facebook to spread support for the plan.

Donations also came from around the nation.

One organisation donated 200 canvas bags to the group, which Miranda, an artist, wants to brand to make the project more long term.

She is stamping them with BE, standing for Brighton Essential bags.

Miranda said: “It is totally unacceptable for people to be living on the streets.

“Simone and I were chatting together and thought that we had to do something sustainable to help other agencies working on this.”

They have plans to expand the project in the future and want to reach more people on the streets to find out what they really need.

Simone works at spabreaks.com, which only moved to the city 12 weeks ago.

Bosses agreed to store the donations in its office and many of their employees volunteered to help out with the project.

Abi Wright, the owner of the company, said: “Everyone has been so helpful. There is a real family feel behind this.”

The group also donated 27 bags to Emmaus UK, a homeless charity, as well as the Salvation Army, St Peter’s Church and a number of soup kitchens.