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Lockdown clear outs aid Leeds School Uniform Exchange

Tuesday 11 August 2020

When lockdown prompted many of us to declutter at home, parents at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) responded generously to a plea for donations of outgrown school clothing to help families in need.

The appeal is part of the Leeds School Uniform Exchange initiative by Zero Waste Leeds, in partnership with Families Together Leeds. Zero Waste Leeds estimates a cost of £6.4 million to kit out from new all primary and secondary pupils starting at the city’s schools this year.

At GSAL, the Parents and Friends Association (PFA) issued an appeal for unbranded uniform, particularly white shirts, polo shirts, black trousers or joggers, school shoes, grey or black tights and red or blue sweatshirts.

Families Together Leeds collects the donated clothing and makes it available to vulnerable families or those struggling to make ends meet, as well as to children in care and foster care.

Parent Vicky Hart is one of the PFA volunteers who run the school’s own nearly new uniform shop 2Kit. She spent much of lockdown juggling her home schooling responsibilities with sorting donations ready for collection.

Vicky said: “We had an amazing response to our appeal. Pretty much everything donated has been in excellent condition and really good quality. And it’s good to know that, just because a child has outgrown something, it is not going to waste.

“Although lockdown put the project temporarily on hold, once schools started to reopen it was vital to get the scheme off the ground, given the extra financial strain on many families.”

The PFA collects uniform donations via the clothing bank located in the car park at GSAL’s Alwoodley Gates campus. Please pack garments into a fastened bag. Donations of GSAL uniform are also welcome now that 2Kit sales are up and running again; please visit our uniform page for details.

Caption: Vicky with just a few of the donations to the Leeds School Uniform Exchange

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