We have teamed up with West Lothian-based non-profit organisation the Ootsider to bring you some fabulous Beanie Hats!

The Ootsider makes high-quality changing, sleeping and wheelchair coats and they use 100% of their profit to produce and donate sleeping coats to people sleeping rough on the streets - for every two robes they sell, they donate one to people very much in need.

We have joined forces and for every Beanie hat we sell, we will be making a donation of £5. Keeping your ears warm, while helping someone else living in difficult conditions.

We thought we should introduce you to the work the Ootsider does and so here are a few words from John, its founder, on how it all began.

“On a freezing cold, pouring wet December afternoon on Buchanan Street in Glasgow, a simple Christmas shopping trip took a turn that would change everything for me. I was all wrapped up warm and cosy in my waterproofs, when I saw a man sitting on the street, soaked through. He just had a sleeping bag, a few bags with all his stuff, and the freezing rain. I was warm and dry, and he was wet and freezing. That really hit me hard.

I stopped to talk to him and soon realised he was sleeping rough. This was his life; he wasn’t going home for a warm bath or a hot meal. This was it for him. And the best I could do was buy him a hot coffee and a sandwich, and I felt awful walking away. I couldn’t shake the feeling it wasn’t enough. Right then and there, I promised myself I’d help as many people in his situation as I possibly could from then on. But how was I going to do it?

As a wild swimmer, I had one of those special changing robes. I thought, what if I could make something similar and give it away to people sleeping rough? And because he also had his sleeping bag covering him, which was also soaked through, I thought, what if I could make it a coat that turns into a sleeping bag, and give those away for free? And that’s exactly what I did. The Ootsider Sleeping Coat is designed especially for people living on the streets. It’s a waterproof, windproof, fleece-lined coat that turns into a sleeping bag.

So, on December 23rd, 2021, The Ootsider was born.”

Since then, the Ootsider has donated over 300 sleeping coats to those sleeping rough. This is funded primarily by the sales of their camping, changing and wheelchair coats as for every 2 sold, they donate one to someone who needs it. All of The Ootsider's garments are manufactured solely in Scotland as they focus on working towards Net-Zero Omissions, and the Circular Economy helping the environment, and as the business grows hopefully creating jobs in Scotland.

We are really proud that Molke can help this work now too.