President of the Village at Fairfield University Interresidential Housing Association| Founder at Uniform Exchange - , England, United Kingdom
Uniform Exchange was founded in 2011, after watching a BBC documentary about ‘Poor Kids.' During the programme, one young boy was sent to school wearing his sister's old school uniform; this must have been devastating for him. It was at this point we thought there must be something we can do for families struggling in our area…In 2010, the Councils school uniform grant was cut in Kirklees and no provisions were put in place to help struggling families. In June 2011, the Uniform Exchange initiative was born; providing FREE recycled school uniform to families across Kirklees. Our mission is twofold ONE: to provide free school uniform to any child who needs help and TWO: to encourage children and families to think of others and the environment before throwing away old school uniform. We ask families to donate their outgrown school uniform to us, so we can make it accessible to all children across Kirklees. Especially those who find themselves in need, we believe wearing well-fitting uniform helps to reduce social isolation and allows children to be ready for learning.We have recently become a CIO, charity number 1177750.