A HOMELESS man who would normally be sleeping in a tent during the wintry weather has been given shelter thanks to some generous town residents.

The man, known as Paul, would normally be seen selling the Big Issue magazine outside of Co-op in Wellington town centre.

But as the town has been coated in a layer of snow, one Wellington resident decided to take action.

Charlotte Jones set up a fundraising page in the hopes of raise just £35 to enable Paul to stay in a bed and breakfast hotel for the night.

But to her surprise, the page has seen more than £700 in donations.

Miss Jones said: "Paul is the gentleman who sells the big issue in wellington town outside Coop.

"He currently stays in his tent somewhere, the next few days are going to be very cold and we are hoping to raise some donations for him to stay at a bed and breakfast at The Vintage.

"The cost for one night with a cooked breakfast is £35, any additional donations will be used for an additional night to stay in the warm."

Paul has already spent the night in his tent while snow fell across the county - but thanks to the generosity of the town, he will be able to stay out of the cold for a few nights.

She added: "I was so shocked when I saw that the donations had reached £700, considering the target was only £35 to accommodate Paul for one night.

"I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of the local people of wellington and surrounding areas." Miss Jones is now looking into her options of using the remaining money to find Paul a more permanent place to stay.

To donate, visit gofundme.com/get-paul-a-place-to-stay-in-this-weather