By Katie Neame

An animal rights organisation has donated hats, gloves and coats to a Weymouth homelessness charity.

The Bus Shelter Dorset have received a delivery of vegan wool hats and gloves and second-hand fur coats from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to help with its work to keep homeless people in Dorset warm this winter.

The donation follows PETA’s request that the village of Wool change its name to ‘Vegan Wool’.

The vegan wool is made from recycled plastic bottles while the fur coats came from people PETA described as having “had a change of heart about wearing the cruelly produced items.”

Director of PETA UK, Elisa Allen, said: “We hope the vegan knits and donated fur coats will help Dorset’s homeless community. With so many warm, cruelty-free fabrics available, only people truly struggling to survive have any excuse for wearing fur and other animal-derived materials.”

The Bus Shelter Dorset was established by Emily and Eddie McCarron in 2016 to support homeless people in the Weymouth area as well as give them a safe place to sleep.

In January, the charity opened a mobile shelter in a converted double decker bus – parked on Preston Road – to provide shelter for up to 17 adults.

Ms McCarron said: “We’re very grateful for the donation and will distribute it to rough sleepers.”

Regarding PETA’s use of vegan fabrics, she said: “We’re in support of their campaign.”

The organisation emphasises the benefits of vegan alternatives to wool, both for their cruelty-free production process and their reduced environmental impact.

A PETA Asia investigation into the UK wool industry revealed the abuse some sheep suffered, especially during the shearing process.

Video footage shows various incidents of animal cruelty, including workers punching the sheep in the face and stamping and standing on their heads and necks.

PETA’s report concluded: “The best thing that you can do for sheep is refuse to buy wool.”

The donation to The Bus Shelter Dorset follows PETA’s request that the village of Wool change its name to ‘Vegan Wool’ to highlight the range of vegan fabrics available.