Parents and guardians are being urged to donate pre-loved school uniform to children in their local area as part of a nationwide charitable initiative this back to school season.
As part of the scheme, items including blazers, shirts, trousers, skirts, and lots more, will be collected through and donated to selected local partner charities or schools across the country.
To take part, simply take your pre-loved school uniform to your nearest Wacky Warehouse across 65 sites and drop it in the designated donation station before 2 September. In the Swindon area The Wacky Warehouse is located at The Churchill Pub on Swindon Road, Royal Wootton Bassett.
The UK’s leading soft play, party venue and activity centre, has relaunched the school uniform donation drive for a second successive year due to national demand.
The charitable initiative follows research revealing 45% of parents and guardians will struggle to pay for their child’s new uniform this year, up from four in ten parents (40%) in 2023.
What’s more, two thirds of caregivers (66%) say school uniform is the costliest expense around the back to school season, with an average spend on uniform of £161 per child.
According to the study, this is compounded by parents replacing an average of seven items of clothing a year, with shoes (28%), trousers (16%), and shirts (15%) cited as the costliest expenses.
To represent the size of the issue, Wacky Warehouse has created a giant mural of a child in school uniform, made from hundreds of kid’s uniform pieces.
The 15-foot mural is featured alongside Daniel Arsham’s artwork Bronze Eroded Bunny at the iconic Yorkshire Sculpture Park, made from uniform items of various sizes, which will all be donated as a means of kickstarting the national drive heading into the summer holidays.
Sam Simpson, Marketing Manager at Wacky Warehouse, added: “We’re at the heart of dozens of communities nationwide and take huge pride in supporting our customers.
“We also know how difficult it can be to afford school uniform and the back to school season, especially in the current economic climate amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.
“That’s why we’re delighted to relaunch our school uniform donation scheme for the second year running, following its huge success in 2023, when we saw 69 pubs collect thousands of items of uniform for those in need.
“To donate, simply head to your local Wacky Warehouse and drop your unused or pre-loved uniforms at the designated donation stations and we’ll take care of the rest!”
As part of the initiative, Wacky Warehouse has partnered with B&M to launch a competition, giving families who donate their unused uniforms the chance to win some fantastic prizes for their children’s school.
B&M will offer a £1,000 gift voucher for the winning school, alongside a £250 gift voucher for second place and a £100 gift voucher for third place to spend on school essentials, such as breakfast foods, stationery, and sporting equipment.
To enter, simply visit the Wacky Warehouse website or scan the QR code at any donation station and click the link. This competition will be running for the duration of donation window.
Sarah Cubells, Brand and PR Team Leader at B&M said: “B&M are delighted to partner with the Wacky Warehouse for such an amazing cause that is very close to our hearts.
“We believe that every child should have access to the school uniform for a happy and successful school year. We are delighted to be able to offer prizes for this competition and support such an incredible campaign and hope that it helps the schools involved continue the fantastic work that they do.”
For more about the Wacky Warehouse school uniform donation scheme and to view participating sites, visit: https://www.wackywarehouse.co.uk/uniform
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