Charity helping homeless people affected with trench-foot

Trench foot is affecting homeless people across the UK, so SockShop has teamed up with a Manchester-based homeless charity, Barnabus, to provide much-needed foot care.

Rough sleepers are vulnerable to developing trench foot as they often sleep in damp footwear and do not have access to clean, dry socks. Compounding the issue, socks are one of the most needed but least donated items to homeless charities.

To help combat the problem in Manchester, the Bolton-based sock retailer is 'taking over' the Barnabus drop-in centre later to provide care otherwise unavailable to rough sleepers.

WHAT IS TRENCH FOOT.

Trench foot, or immersion foot syndrome, is a serious condition that results from your feet being wet for too long. The condition first became known during World War I, when soldiers got trench foot from fighting in cold, wet conditions in trenches without the extra socks or boots to help keep their feet dry.

Trench foot killed an estimated 75,000 soldiers during World War One.