A life-changing website offering families free access to preloved school clothing is now offering a new click-and-collect service at a Stirling supermarket.
Earlier this year Stirling Council became the first local authority in Scotland to host an online shop offering free access to preloved school clothing.
The website, Prelovedstirling.org.uk, provides an easy and anonymous way to source school uniforms at no cost.
Stirling families responded with overwhelming generosity when donating clothes via the Council’s designated drop off points at The Allan Centre, Bridge of Allan; Mayfield Centre, St. Ninians and Customer First, Port Street, Stirling.
And now supermarket giants Sainsburys have stepped in to add their support to the great cause by hosting a donation point at their Drip Road store, as well as a free click-and-collect service for the web-shop users. The store have also donated clothes to Preloved through their Community Fund.
Preloved clothing is the brainchild of Carol Laing, from the Council’s Parent and Family Support Team. She developed her plan through a scheme called The Lens, which is run through large organisations across the UK, including Stirling Council, and helps employees develop ideas.
Carol said: “I am absolutely delighted that Sainsbury’s Stirling are supporting Stirling Council Preloved school clothes. Sainsbury’s Stirling have not only made a generous donation to Preloved, they are also offering the users a click and collect service from their store and they will be one of the donation points for Preloved.
“I can’t thank Sainsburys enough for providing additional ways for us to collect preloved clothing, which will help us put more Preloved clothes to use for families who need them.
“People have been extremely generous so far and there has been an overwhelming amount of donations. The aim of the Preloved online shop is not only to reduce waste, but also to reduce the stigma around sourcing good quality school clothes. There are so many good quality clothes out there just waiting to be loved again.”
Sainsbury’s Clothing Manager Lesley Connal said: “We are delighted to be able to support this amazing website by donating clothing from our community fund and providing a new donation point and click-and-collect service. This online shop provides a service that is for every parent and family throughout Stirling, whatever their circumstances. It can make a real difference to the lives of lots of people and we are proud to help contribute to its success.”
Convenor of the Children and Young People Committee, Councillor Susan McGill, said: “There has been a fantastic amount of community support for Preloved school clothing website already. We are proud to be able to offer this universal service, which is for every parent and family throughout Stirling, whatever their circumstances
“The introduction of the click-and-collect service and extra drop off point at Sainsburys are two fantastic additions to what has already proven an excellent service to our communities.
“Access to clothing is an important part of helping children get the best from their education as uniforms encourage a sense of pride in students and equality with their fellow pupils.”
Vice Convenor Councillor Christine Simpson said: “School uniforms can be a significant cost to many families and this website could be life-changing for some.
“We were delighted to be one of the first local authorities to support the delivery of such a platform, helping to tackle poverty, inequality and reduce stigma.
It is wonderful to see Preloved clothing go from strength to strength with the addition of these extra services, underlining Stirling Council’s commitment to giving our young people the best possible learning experience.”
All donations are laundered and anonymised prior to dispatching, and clothes will be posted directly to the recipient’s home address for free.
If any of the items you receive are unsuitable, then just pop them back into the packaging, and re-donate at any of the donation points.
The pre-loved clothing online platform will be carried out in three phases:
Phase One – School session 2019/2020 nurseries and primary schools.
Phase Two – School session 2020/2021 extending to high schools.
Phase Three – School session 2020/2021 where the service will begin to include prom dresses and prom suits.
