Staff at an Oxford accountancy firm are pitching in to help homeless people.

Workers at Shaw & Company will be raising funds to help the charity Emmaus develop accommodation and work opportunities.

Emmaus is in the process of securing planning permission for accommodation, workshops, and a retail site.

Maggie Faulkner, project director for Emmaus Oxford said: "Our aim is to offer a practical way in which some of them can move from homelessness and dependency on state benefit to taking responsibility for their own lives through living and working in a self-supporting community."

Ian Wenman, a partner at Shaw & Company said: "We see this as an exceptionally worthwhile project for Oxford, which not only reduces the homeless population but also gives them a foothold back into the community where they can be paid for their work."