YOUNG disabled people supported Southend’s homeless by giving out gift packs with vital items for this winter.

As part of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, youngsters of the charity, Leonard Cheshire’s ‘Can Do’ volunteering group, discovered the truth of being homeless in the modern world.

The gift packs also included decorated cards which read: “Someone is thinking of you.”

Michelle Impanni, senior programme co-ordinator at Leonard Cheshire, said: “The young people involved pack up the Care and Share bags themselves and, by seeing the items needed, learn what it means to be homeless.

"They’re gaining an insight into a world they may not previously have been aware of, as well as boosting their confidence.”