Members of the team at a Cumbrian relish company have been collecting up their unwanted DVDs and CDs to help the homeless.

Staff at the Hawkshead Relish Company are doing their bit to help the homeless as part of the third Family Business United Santa Dash.

Each year in the run up to Christmas, staff from both Family Business United and Plan Insurance encourage family firms across the UK to send in donations of warm clothing, sleeping bags and toiletries for distribution to the homeless.

They also encourage donations of unwanted DVDs and CDs, which are then sold to help raise funds in support of the work of the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity CentrepointUK.

The charity provides young people with accommodation, health support and life skills to get them back into education, training and employment in a bid to give homeless young people a future and end youth homelessness.

Maria Whitehead, co-owner and director of Hawkshead Relish, said: "The decisions we make every day build upon our existing goals, values, and beliefs as family businesses.

"Which is why I believe family businesses can play a key role in helping homeless people get their lives back on track.

"We can support the work of organisations like CentrepointUK by raising funds, but we can also make a real difference by giving people a chance in life through employment. Ultimately homelessness can affect anyone and that should be foremost in our minds and we all have a role to play in eradicating homelessness.’’

Paul Andrews, founder of Family Business United, said: "Family values are at the heart of what FBU is all about and our annual Santa Dash is our way of bringing the family business community together to make a difference to the lives of others."