A woman from Bassingbourn has been left amazed after a campaign she started on Facebook to help support Military Veterans snowballed. Jackie Ives started the campaign hoping to raise a bit of money and collect some supplies for homeless ex-servicemen and women in time for Christmas, however, this soon turned into £1,000 and 200 supply packs.

Jackie started working with the Homes 4 Heroes charity when she began knitting scarves for them. While she donates to several different charities, she said that this one, in particular, is close to her heart.

She told the Royston Crow: “My father was in the RAF and my husband’s father and grandfather were in the army, and the more I learned about what the charity does the more I wanted to help.”

Jackie started a post on Facebook hoping to get maybe 20 packs of supplies, each of which is made up of a hat, scarf, warm clothing, toiletries, hot chocolate, coffee and items for dogs. However, she vastly underestimated the effect that her post would have as enough items have been delivered to make 200 packs in just three weeks.

She also went to see Angela Malster from Heaven Scent Bath Bombs, who she had met through craft work. Angela and her husband volunteered to transport the packs to the charity by donating a van and driver. The couple also donated £1,000 to the cause.

Homes 4 Heroes was started in 2010 by Jimmy Jukes MBE and Michelle Thorpe as a way of helping to feed ex-service personnel and find them homes. Jackie's campaign will help them to do this and has also raised the profile of the charity, with organisations like Tesco and the Royston Royal British Legion getting involved.

Mandy Jinkerson, the Royston Tesco community champion, told the news provider: “It was lovely to be able to support the cause and provide toiletries for both men and women, and it was great to meet Jackie and to have that good relationship going forward.”

You can donate to Homes 4 Heroes here to help the charity continue to support homeless veterans around the UK.