HAMPSHIRE and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance bosses are appealing to the public not to throw out unwanted Christmas gifts.

The charity is welcoming people’s unwanted clothing, shoes or textiles to help raise much needed cash to keep the two counties flying medics in the air.

Cash from recycled textiles is the charity’s second large resource of income.

Bosses are now urging people with unwanted festive decorated jumpers and socks to bag them up and dump them in one of the charity’s yellow textile bins at Romsey Bus Station and at Lockerley and East Dean War Memorial Hall and other sites across Hampshire.

Any other unwanted or discarded clothing is also welcome says the charity adding that even worn out shoes can go in the textile banks.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance chief executive John Perry said: “The majority of the textile donations we receive at this time of year have come from wardrobe clear-outs. With clothing banks at recycling sites across our region, there are plenty of places for people to take last season's garments and put them to a worthwhile cause.”

The charity operates its textile banks in conjunction with Bag It Up Ltd and a full list of recycling bank sites can be found at biugroup.co.uk.