24th October 2018
In early August 2018 the appeal for donations resumed – anything from new items of clothing, money or someone’s time to support this much-needed project. Our Engagement & Partnerships Team worked with one of our contractors, Travis Perkins, and through social value, were pleased to contribute £500 towards the project.
Within the first week the L6 Community Association received 1600 self-referrals, as well as hundreds of referrals from social workers, family support officer’s, council officers and Members of Parliament.
Organisers soon realised that they wouldn’t be able to fulfil every request, so agreed that they would write to 700 charities, unions, companies and businesses asking for donations of money or new uniforms. They also collected money and new uniforms at an Asda store local to the L6 area and continued the social media appeal.
Dukefield Ltd, a clothing company based in Bolton, and Fans Supporting Foodbanks both saw the appeal on Facebook and donated lorry-loads of new uniforms.
By the end of August there had been 3,500 referrals.
On the 1st September the project went live and the L6 Community Centre opened their doors to the applicants and uniforms were given out. Each parent was entitled to a certain amount of uniform for each child and staff worked tirelessly to make up the bags of uniform for each child.
Each bag of uniform costs around £100 and so far 5,278 have been given out to children, meaning over £500,000 worth of uniform has been given out in total. 481 (10%) of these bags have been given to children living in our homes, with an approximate value of £48,000.
Usman Ashiq, strategic partnerships manager at Plus Dane Housing, said: “This project has had a very positive impact on our local families and we’re pleased to have been involved. We look forward to continuing to work with our contractors to generate more social value, so we can support more great causes like this in the future.”
Parents that completed forms were supported in a number of ways - including benefits checks, being signposted to local foodbanks and being invited to the activities available at the L6 Community Association including lunch clubs, cabaret events and youth clubs.
The L6 Community Association still has over 200 applications for children who need support, they will continue fundraising in the hope of providing uniforms for these children very soon.
