AN appeal for used bras has given vital support to a charity helping those in need in Africa.

This year’s appeal for donations of bras by the Salisbury Soroptimists produced another record-breaking total – with 3,736 garments handed over.

They will now be taken to London before being shipped to countries across Africa.

A spokesperson for the soroptimists said a team of volunteers gathered to sort, count and bag the bras.

“Many hands made light work of the count so we had time for some light refreshments,” they said.

“If any neighbours heard us talking about putting bodies into black bags, please be assured we were talking about lingerie.”

However, there was one incident of theft, when a canine bra thief got involved, they added.

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The bags of bras were labelled and will be delivered to the Afreebra charity, which has storage capacity in Twickenham, before being flown to Africa and donated to women who otherwise would not be able to afford such garments.

“Imagine the boost to your confidence and self-esteem by wearing a ‘luxury’ garment,” the spokesperson added.

“Like in many places, women are often last in the queue for family finances and their needs come low down the priority list.”

People are being urged to hang on to their bras for next year’s appeal.

For more information on the soroptimists, log on to https://sigbi.org/salisbury.