Blackburn parents donate school uniforms to help struggling families

Rummage Rescuers have collected pre-loved school uniforms and distributed them back to families free of charge for a number of years, as a way of helping people in crisis in the community.

Families can visit the clothes bank on Canterbury Street and help themselves to uniforms freely, but a donation if they can afford is always welcomed.

A Blackburn uniform shop shared the average prices for High School uniforms which range between £130 to £150 per child.

With the deepening cost of living crisis hitting families pockets, with fuel prices, household bills, food costs and inflation all rising sharply while wages stagnate, many parents are struggling to afford new uniforms for their growing children.

Free recycled school uniforms available at Rummage Rescuers clothes bank on Canterbury Street

Given Blackburn with Darwen has the fourth highest number of absolute low-income families in England, with 10,475 children under 16 in this category, Liz Crook, founder and director of Rummage Rescuers said a lot of families don’t have the spare cash for uniforms.

She said: “Given the recent rise in fuel and food costs, the number needing support with school uniforms has risen.

“So, Rummage Rescuers CIC are reaching out to local companies and individuals to sponsor a child’s uniform ready for next term.”

The organisation, based in Town Hall Street, runs as non-profit and focuses primarily on serving the most vulnerable in the community through volunteer work and partnerships with other local businesses.

The scheme works by collecting clothes donated by families who no longer need them in the area and working with partner organisations to supply the items to families who ordinarily wouldn’t be able to afford brand new clothes.

So far, the organisation has had four sponsors sign up to support the pre-loved school uniform initiative.

The generosity extends beyond Blackburn with Darwen as a pub in Lytham is also campaigning to help families who are struggling with extortionate school uniform costs.

The pub, The Water’s Edge, is calling on the local community to donate items of school wear to help those in need.

Once items are collected, the pub will itemise all the donations according to size and school ready for distribution.

Paul Longmire, marketing manager of Joseph Holt brewery which owns the Water's Edge, said: “This again shows how pubs are so central to the community and work to reach out to those in need.

“We're sure there will be a generous response from our big-hearted customers and from the community beyond so that we can do something to help struggling families with the cost of providing uniform.”

Any companies interested in supporting Rummage Rescuers can email uniforms@rummagerescuers.org.uk.