A DRINKS firm has undergone a rebranding exercise – and at the same time is giving something back to the community.

Direct Drinks and Snacks Ltd has teamed up with Porch Boxes, which provides food parcels to families struggling financially in the Bolton and Bury area.

The team at have been helping Bolton's homeless population by distributing food and packaging that would otherwise be sent for recycling.

A spokesman said: "Taking to the streets, our team gave away free food and drinks as well as boxes and other packaging materials that will provide warmth and shelter from the forthcoming winter months."

After six successful years, the firm has recently undergone a rebranding exercise and will now be trading as WDS Group.

The business has grown from suppliers of just soft drinks and snacks to a distribution network that covers the North West supplying a range of more than 2000 products that now includes alcoholic beverages, food packaging, cleaning products and coffee and vending machines.

Ryan Smith, Managing Director, said: “To reflect the growth in our business and product offering, we have made the commercial decision to introduce an all-encompassing brand.

"With our diverse portfolio of products and services, we really felt that we had outgrown our original name of Direct Drinks & Snacks; WDS Group reflects both our recent growth and our vision for the future.”

WDS Group now partner with both UK and international breweries to bring cask ales, pale ales and specialist micro brews to restaurants, bars and other licensed premises across the North West. Individuals can also purchase from its extensive range of unique and limited edition ales through their direct to consumer website beerhunter.co.uk.

Most recently, WDS Group have secured the exclusive distribution rights to Toast Ale in the North. Toast Ale is a pale ale that is brewed in Hackney and Yorkshire from surplus bread which would otherwise go to waste. An SRA Food Made Good supplier, Toast Ale gives a new life to artisan breads that are unsold by bakeries at the end of the day, as well as the ends of loaves that are automatically discarded by sandwich makers.