Man Utd launch coat appeal

Manchester United will hold their annual coat appeal at Old Trafford around their Premier League encounter with Brighton on Saturday, to try to help young people affected by poverty over the winter.

United's Foundation has collected a total of more than 4,000 coats in the first two years of the appeal and are urging supporters to drop clean coats - both adult and children's sizes - at the various bag drop points around the stadium.

The club works with a network of 35 high schools, 35 primary schools and eight special schools and say the coats will be distributed "sensitively" to those who need them during the winter.

"It is a big ask but the fans have been amazing for the last two years and hopefully it will be the same again," said Foundation spokesperson Tom Sellers.

"This can have a massive impact on the children we work with."