THE HAMPSHIRE and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIWAA) is encouraging people to support them by choosing their yellow clothing banks when they get rid of their unwanted clothes.

HIWAA works with recycling partner ‘Bag It Up’ which collects unwanted shoes and textiles, and then converts them into money for the charity.

It relies on the generosity of the public to maintain its service, requiring £125,000 each month to keep the service flying and saving lives.

Even old worn-out shoes and garments which are damaged can be used so people are being asked to simply bag them up and put them in the charity’s yellow textile banks across the county.

The charity has also been working with ‘Bag It Up’ on increasing the number of textile bank locations across Hampshire to ensure that people have more chance of using HIWAA recycling banks over other banks that are available.

Additional banks that have been introduced in the Basingstoke area include banks at Chine-ham Christ Church, in Reading Road, and Inkinit, in Worting Road.

John Perry, chief executive of HIWAA, said: “We would like to remind people that supporting your Air Ambulance can be achieved in many ways, and just by choosing to use our textile banks to recycle your clothing is a great place to start.”