One of the biggest orders yet for The Ootsider

West Lothian’s Ootsider firm said its first partnership with a local authority led to one of its biggest orders so far.

John Keogh, the man behind the company who hails from Bridgend and now lives in Broxburn, presented staff at the Simon Community which runs Streetwork, with the coats which convert to a sleeping bag.

It comes as the council said the city “is in the grip of a housing emergency.”

The Simon Community is a charity dedicated to helping people to avoid, resolve and recover from homelessness in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is the first local authority to partner with The Ootsider, a community interest company that has now provided over 250 Sleeping Coats directly to beneficiaries and in partnership with charities.

The Ootsider designs and hand-makes outdoor clothing, reinvesting all net profits from the sale of its products to make and donate its sleeping coats to vulnerable people sleeping rough on our streets.

Each coat is individually hand-made and has been made to be multi-functional; working as a coat and a sleeping bag with room inside to change clothes and with a detachable foot section that converts into a bag to store the coat, act as a cushion or hold personal items.

The Ootsider was founded by John after he came across a homeless man with a waterlogged sleeping bag, cold and soaked to the skin begging on the street. He gave the man some food and a hot drink.

This encounter led wild swimmer John to invent The Ootsider and begin a mission to improve the lives of rough sleepers by providing waterproof, fleece-lined, hard-wearing coats to improve their health, welfare and dignity while on the streets.

The Ootsider was created as a Community Interest Company and has the freedom to sell the products it makes and to accept donations. The coats are popular with campers and wild swimmers as dry robes and the multi function garment sells for £149. The company has also developed a winder range of outdoor gear including new styles of coats, coats for children and also hoodies and knitted beanie hats. No one working for The Ootsider is paid a salary.

John added: “Our aim is to make the highest quality clothing that is most appropriate to its intended user; all of our materials are sourced from UK suppliers and our transport costs are low.”

Over the last year, the reputation of The Ootsider has flourished and interest in the company has spread, with thanks to the help of a loyal band of supporters.

The Ootsider has championed fundraising activities, including ‘Sleep-Oots’ where people sleep rough for one night, become involved in educational initiatives and supported events involving wild or cold-water swimming.

A council spokesperson said: “One day we hope to end rough sleeping for good but, until then, we’re very grateful to The Ootsider and Simon Community for helping us to distribute these jackets. Doubling up as sleeping bags, we hope they will go some way towards making a difference.”