A WINTER coat exchange is returning to Somerset this year – providing warm wear for folks in need.

As temperatures begin to drop, Somerset Council’s Libraries service is relaunching its Winter Coat Exchange scheme.

Now in its third year, in 2024, the initiative saw 2,470 coats donated and 2,086 taken, with excess donations handed to the charity RAFT – Refugee Aid From Taunton, which supports displaced people locally and further afield, and works with other local charities/groups supporting a variety of different causes.

Libraries taking part in the coat exchange this year are: Minehead, Yeovil, Street, Glastonbury, Langport, Williton, Burnham-on-Sea, Taunton, Porlock, Shepton Mallet, Wellington, Dulverton, Chard, and Ilminster.

To take part in the scheme, people can donate unwanted coats to staff at participating libraries, or take one without making a donation.

READ MORE: More than 2,400 coats donated to Somerset exchange scheme to help those in need

All donations must be of good quality and in a clean condition, with coats of any shape or size, for adults or children, accepted.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, lead member for communities, HRA and culture, said: “This scheme gets more successful every year and we know that both donors and those needing a warm coat are really positive.

“Colder and wet weather will soon be with us and this can be challenging for many, especially those who can’t afford to stay warm.

“Libraries become so much more than places for reading and studying, they become warm, welcoming, social spaces – real community hubs. I hope that people can donate good quality clean items that others can benefit from.”

For more information, or to participate in the Coat Exchange scheme, visit your nearest participating library, or email librariesmail@somerset.gov.uk for more information.