Mission to 300
Our Story so Far…
Discover the story of The Ootsider, from a fateful wet and cold day on Buchanan Street to our Mission to 300 – a winter goal to donate 300 coats to people experiencing rough sleeping across the UK.
Since 2021
Giving back for 4+ years.
+300
Coats Donated to Homeless
5/5
Customer satisfaction
Why The Ootsider
If you were to ask a Scot of a certain age and from a particular place what an ootsider is, they’d likely tell you it’s the end slices of a plain loaf of bread, often called the heel. And if you then asked what they do with it, you’d probably get two common answers: they’d either toast it to a lovely golden brown or, perhaps, discard it.
It was this humble ootsider that inspired the name for our organisation and our sleeping coat. Imagine yourself nestled within the warm embrace of your Ootsider Sleeping Coat, much like the soft, comforting heart of the bread, protected by those sturdy ootsider slices. It’s designed to keep you wonderfully toasty and secure, even when you’re sleeping ootside under the stars.
Unfortunately, for many, the feeling of being an ootsider extends beyond just bread. It can sometimes feel like society has cast them aside. Our Ootsider Sleeping Coat is more than just a piece of clothing; it’s a symbol of warmth, comfort, and a reminder that even when you feel like an ootsider, you deserve to be cherished and kept safe. It’s about finding warmth and belonging, no matter where you are.
For every two robes we sell, we donate one to someone who needs it.
We use 100% of our profit to produce the same high quality changing robes you buy from our site and we donate these to people sleeping rough on the streets.
Buy a Coat
Purchase one outdoor robe form our website. Choose from a variety of hand crafted, high quality outdoor robes. Feel good that you are supporting a non profit organisation that is making real change locally.
Spread the Word
Tell your friends about the Ootsider. If you can convince one person to buy another outdoor robe then you have effectively given a jacket to someone in need.
We Donate a Coat
For every two coats we sell, we donate one to someone who is homeless. So far we have given away 320 coats and we are just getting started.
The Ootsider CIC
The company is a registered Community Interest Company (CIC), where the community are those individuals who are sleeping rough in the UK for some unfortunate reason, not necessary of their own doing. I decided on a CIC as it allows me to take donations, grants, as well as being able to sell products.
Based on that I have created a range of own brand garments that I sell to those who enjoy our great outdoors e.g. wild swimmers, campers, event goers, cyclists, hill walkers, dog walkers, etc, and reinvest the profits from the sales of these garments for the manufacture and distribution of our Sleeping Coat …… completely free of charge ….. to those Sleeping Rough on our streets, parks or wherever they can find somewhere to lay their head.
All of The Ootsiders garments are manufactured solely in Scotland as we focus on working towards Net-Zero Omissions, and the Circular Economy helping our environment, and as our business grows hopefully creating jobs in Scotland.
About Us
How it all began…
On a freezing cold, pouring wet December afternoon on Buchanan Street in Glasgow, a simple Christmas shopping trip took a turn that would change everything for me. I was all wrapped up warm and cosy in my waterproofs, when I saw a man sitting on the street, soaked through. He just had a sleeping bag, a few bags with all his stuff, and the freezing rain. I was warm and dry, and he was wet and freezing. That really hit me hard.
I stopped to talk to him and soon realised he was sleeping rough. This was his life; he wasn’t going home for a warm bath or a hot meal. This was it for him. And the best I could do was buy him a hot coffee and a sandwich, and I felt awful walking away. I couldn’t shake the feeling it wasn’t enough. Right then and there, I promised myself I’d help as many people in his situation as I possibly could from then on. But how was I going to do it?
As a wild swimmer, I had one of those special changing robes. I thought, what if I could make something similar and give it away to people sleeping rough? And because he also had his sleeping bag covering him, which was also soaked through, I thought, what if I could make it a coat that turns into a sleeping bag, and give those away for free? And that’s exactly what I did. The Ootsider Sleeping Coat is designed especially for people living on the streets. It’s a waterproof, windproof, fleece-lined coat that turns into a sleeping bag.
So, on December 23rd, 2021, The Ootsider was born.
