Castle Quarter in Norwich is bringing back its school uniform ‘given in kindness’ event this week, redistributing pre-loved uniform, donated by the local community. Marketing Manager Gemma Hyde explains more
Castle Quarter in Norwich city centre is hosting a pop-up ‘Given in Kindness’ event this week, having brought back its school uniform collection in a bid to redistribute items to local families, helping to ease the financial burden of the back-to-school shop. Last year, Castle Quarter started collecting pre-loved shirts, blazers, skirts and trousers from its visitors, with the clothing then given out to parents and carers needing replacement items for school-aged children. And they are doing it all again this year. It means perfectly good pieces of school uniform will be handed on to new owners, preventing clothing from going to landfill.
Earlier this year, Castle Quarter’s school uniform pop-up events were hailed as a great success. Held in the centre in January and February, all 600 pieces of school clothing that had been generously donated were redistributed to local families, for free.
At the time, parents commented that the scheme really helped with alleviating the pressure of buying new pieces of school clothing. So much so that the team at Castle Quarter have decided to make the collection a permanent initiative.
Gemma Hyde, marketing and administration manager says of the ‘given in kindness’ event: ‘People can pick up pre-loved uniforms ready for the new school year. One generous lady has already dropped off four large boxes of uniforms now that her children have left school.
“We had more than 600 pieces donated last year, with everything redistributed at our events in January and February, benefiting lots of local families. We’d love to help spread this kindness even further this summer.”
Gemma adds; “School uniform is essential, and it’s an important that children feel good and are ready to learn, when they get back to the classroom. By collecting and redistributing school uniforms, we can help to ease some of the financial pressure of buying new uniforms while also making sure good quality clothing is passed on for re-use, which has an environmental benefit too.
“Our visitors gave this scheme their full support last year, and with their continued generosity, we can give back to even more local families.”
The ‘Given in Kindness event’ takes place at Castle Quarter in Norwich from Monday August 11 to Friday August 15. Visit the Centre Management Office, Level 3, between 9am to 4pm, and collect one set of pre-loved school uniform per child. Items will include blazers, cardigans, jumpers, PE kits, polo shirts, shorts, shoes, skirts, pinafores, summer dresses and trousers. Anyone wishing to donate can now do year-round, as the centre is home to a new donation station. It means there’s a constant flow of uniform which can be passed on and re-used. Check Castle Quarter’s website and Facebook page for announcements.
Featured image of Gemma Hyde and all other images supplied by Plain Speaking PR
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