£20,000 donation helps Coventry families prepare for new school year
Nearly 3,000 children in Coventry are expected to benefit from free school uniform this year
Coventry Building Society has donated £20,000 to help thousands of students in the city receive new school uniform ahead of September.
The donation has been made to Clothing Coventry, a charity dedicated to addressing clothing poverty in Coventry.
Currently buying new school uniform is a key concern for many families and Clothing Coventry works to collect and recycle used school uniforms, while also buying new items when monetary donations are given.
The donation from the Society will be used to replenish the supply of high-demand items, such as secondary school blazers and school shoes.
Clothing Coventry is operating a pop-up shop over summer where families can then freely collect quality school uniforms.
The charity predicts they will provide free uniforms to 3,000 children in Coventry before school begins in September.
Anna Cuskin, Community Manager at Coventry Building Society, said: “We know how expensive the back-to-school period can be, and we wanted to do something to help families feeling the pressure.
"Having access to the right school uniform can make a huge difference to a child’s confidence and sense of belonging. When children feel comfortable and included, it helps them focus on learning and getting the most out of their education.
“This donation builds on the work we already do with schools in the community.
"Whether it’s funding school trips and books or running in-school sessions to help young people feel more confident about money, we’re committed to supporting students to help give every child the best possible start in life.”
Katie Wilson, Director of Clothing Coventry, said: “The cost of compulsory school uniform can be well over £100 which is a crippling amount to a family already in poverty.
"We’ve seen children missing school because they haven’t got the right clothing, and parents crying because they can’t afford items of uniform.
“This donation from Coventry Building Society will go a long way to help families across our city, and it couldn’t have come at a better time because demand for uniform has soared in recent years.
"We still need donations of second hand uniform, and we’re grateful for anything people can give.
“The uniform bank is only part of what Clothing Coventry does. We support up to 500 people a month with clothes and shoe parcels, and we work with partner charities to distribute clothes onto rails in food banks, food hubs, homeless accommodations, hotels with refugees, family centres and many more locations city wide.
"We always need donations of good quality clothes and shoes, and at the minute we particularly need children’s clothes.”