School uniforms come at a price. Having to rebuy the same items every year (and even sometimes between terms) can cause a huge financial burden for parents that are already on a tight budget.
This became even clearer during the pandemic. After almost a year of home schooling, many parents realised their kids had already grown out of their uniforms (that were almost brand new) – and it was costly to have to buy new ones.
That’s when we started to work on our own school uniform donation scheme, which would give parents the opportunity to shop for free items donated by others.
Getting set for school with donated items
The first uniform event, which was held at Valley Street Community Centre, was a huge success – and as the demand for school uniforms remained high, we wanted to evolve to create a free school uniform shop.
It soon became known as Re-love the Pre-loved.
Customers have described Relove the Pre-loved as ‘marvellous’, ‘wonderful’ and ‘fantastic’ – with one mum even saying she’s able to buy food now the stress of uniform shopping is covered.
In 2022, Burnley Borough Council supported us by providing a pop-up shop in the town centre. Located in the old Thomas Cook on Chauncey Walk, the shop gave people the opportunity to drop off donations and shop for their uniform needs.
Primark also chipped in to help, providing a range of mannequins to showcase the items on offer. Many different services also generously offered their time volunteering too.
In the two weeks the pop-up was open for, we helped over 750 children get set for school.
Fast forward to 2023, and our Relove the Pre-loved shop has evolved to become a permanent fixture at Down Town, our community hub on Charter Walk.
Not just a pop-up event, Relove the Pre-loved at Down Town provides an affordable, sustainable and local solution for kitting out the kids all year round.
In fact, since April this year, we’ve already supported over 300 children – and as the back to school season approaches, we’re expecting to help more parents than ever this summer.
Here’s how to get set up for September
Got clean, wearable items to donate? Drop them off at Down Town and support your community. If you’re shopping for school uniform, you can get two free uniforms per child.
Down Town is open Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm. If you need to get in touch, call 01282 686402 or email contact@burnleytogether.org.uk
For more updates, you can also follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/BurnleyTogether
