Leeds School Uniform Exchange giving away hundreds of free items to help families hit by cost of living crisis

Hundreds of free uniform items are finding their way to Leeds families this summer thanks to a community initiative that has both the environment and household budgets in mind.
By Robert Tait
Published 14th Aug 2022, 04:45 BST
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Leeds School Uniform Exchange (LSUE) has been hosting pop-up shops at events throughout the city, including at council-run Leeds Breeze activity days, as parents plan ahead for the start of the new school year.

Tracey Morgan is among those spearheading the initiative to encourage parents and schools to donate second hand uniform to pupils to help offset rising expenses during the cost of living crisis.

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Speaking at the start of a session in Seacroft on Friday, she said: “The last pop-up we did in Seacroft on July 19 saw us give away 223 items of free uniform and we helped 47 families, so I'm hoping we'll get a similar uptake.

Leeds School Uniform Exchange hosts a pop-up shop in Seacroft as part of its summer holiday programme of events.Leeds School Uniform Exchange hosts a pop-up shop in Seacroft as part of its summer holiday programme of events.
Leeds School Uniform Exchange hosts a pop-up shop in Seacroft as part of its summer holiday programme of events.

"All of this uniform here would probably end up in a recycling unit, and unfortunately that's a huge amount of textile waste. By helping people pass things like this on, we’re also reducing textile waste and reducing the need for people to buy new."

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Established as a charity, LSUE aims to relieve any social stigma attached to wearing second hand uniform, even if the items themselves are clean, functional and have no visible snags or excessive wear.

Its founders were inspired to act after they got talking in September 2018 about how some families in Leeds were struggling to afford school uniform, yet one school was so overwhelmed with lost property that it was throwing perfectly good items in a skip.

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After launching in summer 2019, they found there was a vast amount of good quality school uniform in wardrobes, cupboards and drawers that other families were only too happy to be able to pass it on.

It now hosts regular school uniform exchange sessions throughout the year.

Summer holiday pop-up shops

Sessions will be held on the following dates from noon-2.30pm and 3pm-5.30pm.

- Wednesday August 17: Armley Park, Stanningley Road

- Friday August 19: Primrose Valley Park, Temple Newsam

- Monday August 22: Bramley Park, Westover Road

- Thursday August 25: Scatcherd Park, Morley

- Wednesday August 31: Parkside, Belle Isle

- Friday September 2: East End Park

Visit www.leedsschooluniformexchange.org.uk for more information and regular uniform exchange locations.

Related topics:Leeds