Former rough sleepers in Birmingham have received donations of pet food and toys for their four-legged friends.

Staff at J Tomlinson collected the items for dogs staying at one of Midland Heart’s supported housing schemes.

As part of a pilot project funded by Birmingham City Council, Zambesi started accepting customers with dogs in January this year, with four dogs staying at the scheme so far.

“Our customers were delighted to receive these goodies for their companions. This kind donation will really help them and their dogs settle in and make the most of their time at Zambesi,” said Sonia Chahal, Inclusion Service Manager at Midland Heart.

“We have found the dogs’ presence is having a positive impact on our customers in helping them to break down barriers, engage better with support and make some really positive progress.”

Zambesi is a 32-bed scheme on Stratford Road in Sparkbrook and offers emergency, short-term accommodation to individuals in need.

Antony Newton, Regeneration Director at J Tomlinson, said: “When we heard that Zambesi were accepting people with dogs we wanted to offer our support to the pets now living at the scheme. Over the last three months our staff have managed to collect a lovely selection of food and toys which we are sure the dogs will enjoy.

“We are proud to support this much-needed service helping some of Birmingham’s most vulnerable rough sleepers and their dogs.”

Midland Heart has been working in partnership with the Dogs Trust to ensure Zambesi’s facilities are suitable for dogs and to ensure they are comfortable in their new surroundings.

J Tomlinson, which has its West Midlands office based at Canwell, near Sutton Coldfield, operates across the West Midlands, East Midlands and Yorkshire - providing a range of integrated building solutions including construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), and facilities management.