Reduce Reuse Recycle

I have spent the last three/four weeks collecting, washing and sorting used school uniform items for a 'Uniform Swap' The centre manager and the Head Teacher were quite impressed with my idea for a swap. It went out on the school news letter (every child takes one home on a friday afternoon) asking parents to donate any items of good school uniform that no longer fitted their child and then return last friday and collect a new uniform for their child in a different size.

I save some things for Francesca but even after she has had wear from them many garments are as good as new. I do pass things along in the playground but some people are far to proud to accept donated clothes (god knows why, my children would be naked half the time without hand-me-downs!) and it's often the families that need the help most that don't accept. By making it a big community event there was no shame in rummaging for new uniform.

It was all clean and folded and laid out nicely so didn't have the 'jumble sale' feel, if you know what I mean;


I had two small helpers;

Friday afternoon was a success in that we got rid of nearly half of what had been donated and recruted some new families too (by sending invitations to children at Nursery School that will be attending our school next year) but our centre is on the small side and storage is a problem so the centre manager and I dragged what was left out into the playground on tuesday afternoon and we had lots more takers;

There is now only a small bag in the shed and we hope to continue this as a rolling programme, parents/carers will continue to donate as and when and we will bring it all out (with a plentiful supply of carriers) every half term (six times a year).

Why not do it at your school or playgroup, share and share alike, be kinder to eachother, your purse and our envirnment?

Daisie xxx