A £5 gift will ensure a homeless person gets a hot meal and somewhere to go on Christmas day

A social enterprise is appealing for donations to help it provide Scotland’s homeless with a Christmas dinner.

Social Bite has teamed up with website Itson to offer a £5 donation deal that will ensure a homeless person gets a hot meal and somewhere to go on Christmas day.

The meals will be served at Social Bite’s cafes in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Any extra funds raised through the deal will be used to provide meals throughout the rest of the year.

Itson is also asking for donations to help fund the groundbreaking Social Bite village project, which will see homes built in Edinburgh to provide accommodation, counselling, education, support and a job to help get homeless people back on their feet.

A Social Bite spokesperson said: “As with last year, what we really want to do is raise enough money this Christmas time not only to feed the homeless at Christmas - but throughout 2017.

“This year we are also looking to take things way beyond free food by building a village for the homeless and creating a blueprint to break the cycle of homelessness for good.

“With your help we can providing a solution that spans housing through to support through to employment. So you can also contribute £5 towards the Social Bite village project this year.

“Let's harness the spirit of Christmas to make a real difference to Scotland's most vulnerable people and break the cycle.”

Social Bite made the headlines earlier this year when Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio visited one of its Edinburgh cafes. The social enterprise also lists George Clooney and Sir Chris Hoy among its supporters.