Homelessness charity St Mungo's has created the first ever 'infectious' wrapping paper as part of The Wrap Up Project, aiming to raise awareness and funds to help homeless people this Christmas.

The festive gift wrap is designed to look like snowflakes, using images of bacteria from viruses such as the common cold, influenza and pneumonia. These viruses pose serious health risks to people sleeping rough in the cold winter weather. A total of 6,437 people were seen sleeping rough by outreach workers in London during 2012-13, a 13 per cent increase on the previous year. Nationally, the number of rough sleepers has also escalated, with an increase of 31 per cent over the last two years.

The idea for the wrapping paper was thought up by creative agency WCRS. Christine Mortensen from St Mungo's Fundraising team said: "We are very grateful to WCRS for donating such an innovative, creative idea to help support our work. Poor health is both a cause and a consequence of homelessness. We hope the wrapping paper appeals to people wanting something different for their family and friends, perhaps those who are doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals - and buying it will mean we can help people recover from homelessness."

The gift wrap is available to buy now from The Wrap Up Project. 100% of the proceeds from the sales are donated to St Mungo's, the charity which helps people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to rebuild their lives.

If you want to help even more, you can also make a direct donation to St Mungo's on their Charity Choice profile page!