A social enterprise from Co Armagh has teamed up with department store John Lewis to help support young people in care.
Madlug was formed in 2015 in Richhill by Dave Linton, based on the idea that no child should carry their life in a bin bag or plastic bag.
The company uses a "buy one give one" model, to donate a pack-away travel bag to a child or young person in care every time one of their own bags is purchased.
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This year, John Lewis' festive campaign entitled 'The Beginner' serves to raise awareness of more than 100,000 children and young people currently in the UK care system and the challenges they face moving from place to place.
Madlug's concept of Make a Difference Luggage caught the eye of the retail giant, and the two have now paired up so the Armagh company is now able to sell its range of backpacks and shoulder bags in-store and online.
Dave Linton, who established Madlug with just £480, said: "Each year the John Lewis advert is anticipated with almost as much excitement as Santa, and it is incredible that collectively we can shine a light on the hardships and upheaval faced by those in the care system.
"There are currently over 108,000 young people in the UK system with a new child entering the system every 15 minutes, and unfortunately, many find themselves transporting whatever belongings they have in black plastic bin bags.
"Madlug was founded in 2015 with the aim of tackling this issue and championing children in care by reminding them of their value, worth and dignity. The pack-away bags we donate are unbranded to avoid stigma and can be folded neatly into a sock drawer or a Social Worker’s car boot without wasting storage space.
"Over the last seven years we have worked with health trusts and local authorities to provide over 60,000 of these bags to vulnerable children across the UK.
"It is enormously encouraging to see a huge retailer such as John Lewis placing those in care at the heart of its Building Happier Futures campaign and of course, the viral Christmas advert.
"We are so grateful to have the opportunity to sell our products through John Lewis online and in selected stores, and for everyone who has supported us thus far because through choosing Madlug you are choosing to improve the life of a young person in care.
"Through our partnership with John Lewis we hope to not only raise awareness of the care issue, but to continue to make a lasting difference to the lives of as many young people in care as possible - not just this Christmas, but for many years to come."
Earlier this year, Madlug became the first Northern Ireland lifestyle brand to achieve B Corp status, in recognition of the company’s social and environmental impact, and has been featured on a Christmas Gifts with Purpose segment on ITV ’s This Morning with Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield.
Rosie Hanley, Head of Brand for John Lewis, said: "This year we used our Christmas advert to shine a light on the experiences of people in care as we launched our Building Happier Futures programme. Our aim is to help people with care experience in multiple ways, including finding meaningful employment.
"Madlug's 'buy one, give one to a child in care' model is another great way to directly help children in care - we are proud to stock their products as we collectively work to help improve the outlook of care experienced people."
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