Essential underwear to be distributed to Scotland's homeless

Hannah Edwards from Cyrenians and Willie MacDonald from Bawbags hope to bring an often overlooked necessity to the homeless of Scotland.

SCOTTISH underwear brand Bawbags has partnered with homelessness charity Cyrenians to provide an often-overlooked necessity for Scotland’s most in need population.

Bawbags, who donate a portion of profits of each pair sold to various charities, has provided Cyrenians with an initial supply of 300 pairs of pants in various sizes and styles.

Donations of more underwear will also be made by Bawbags on an ongoing basis as required.

The Cyrenians will then distribute the underwear to the people they support across the country.

Now in its 50th year, the charity works closely with the homeless and vulnerable to help transform and better their lives.

Colin Reid, co-founder of Bawbags, said: “At Bawbags, we don’t tend to take ourselves too seriously and like to have a bit of fun in our designs and with the brand. But it can be easy to forget that underwear is a basic human need, yet some people in our own communities can’t access it.

“Part of the reason that we set up Bawbags was to support charities close to us. When Cyrenians got in touch with us to tell us about homeless people in Scotland requiring exactly what we make, we couldn’t ignore it.

“We’re proud to enter this partnership with Cyrenians and hope that our donation can improve the lives of homeless people in Scotland, if even just a little bit.”

Another crucial project run by the Cyrenians includes the Fare Share van, which delivers surplus supermarket food across the country to food banks, breakfast clubs, community kitchens and veterans homes amongst other organisations helping Scotland’s vulnerable population.

Ewan Aitken, Chief Executive of Cyrenians, said: “We believe in the value of creating real and meaningful relationships in order to tackle the root causes of homelessness and help those in need move on to safer, more sustainable lifestyles.

“By gifting us this underwear Bawbags are going to make a tangible difference to those we help support. Having a clean change of clothes may seem like a basic necessity but these small acts of kindness can help improve the day-to-day lives of people in our community who are in need.

“We are incredibly grateful to Bawbags for their support.”