An urgent £4,000 appeal has been launched to give homeless people in Canterbury a place to stay warm during the winter.

Catching Lives needs the money to extend the opening of its day centre to include weekends.

At present, the charity, which is the Kentish Gazette’s chosen good cause for 2015, only offers refuge during weekdays because of limited funds.

But with the weather turning much colder, it wants to provide a warm environment, a hot meal and company to those living on the streets in the city on Saturdays and Sundays.

The extra funding would allow the day centre in Station Road East to open from 9am to 4pm until the end of February.

Project worker Ruth Auger said: “It is simply a matter of hard cash to provide the extra staffing and facilities at weekends.

“But with the weather turning so cold, we believe it is the right thing to do and hope the people of Canterbury and further afield will support the appeal.

“Because of the change in the weather, we are generally seeing a surge in the number of clients seeking shelter, up to about 45 a day.

“It surely must be better for them to have the chance to get off the streets and somewhere warm and welcoming where they can get a hot meal and find someone to talk to.”

Opening the day centre at weekends will cost an additional £1,200 a month, says the charity.

Its night shelter is now in its fifth year of operation, using seven church venues on a rotation basis until the end of February, offering 15 beds. But that is being paid for with separate funding.

Donations can be made through www.catchinglives.org or by sending a cheque made out to Catching Lives to Catching Lives Day Centre, 13 Station Road East, Canterbury, CT1 2RB.