Wigan organisation to host first uniform swap shop

The event hosted by Smart Futures helps both parents and the environment by recycling uniform to ensure it gets used for the longest time possible and giving access to more available uniform for parents who are feeling the pinch with the cost of living crisis.

The non-profit organisation was set up by Caeryn Collins, the Managing Director of Impressions Uniform in Standish.

She said: “Our uniform is designed to last, however if your kids grow at the rate mine do they grow out of them before they are worn out.

"Items such as PE kits are often only worn for short periods and have loads of life left in them.

"By exchanging them we can ensure parents get more for their money and less uniform is wasted or sent to landfill.”

The first event will take place at Wigan Sports and Social Club on Parsons Walk on Monday February 13.

Parents can bring uniform which is clean, free from stains and in a good wearable condition to exchange to any of our shops or to the venue on the night between 5pm and 6pm (prior to the opening of the event at 6.30pm.)

Customers exchange clothes for tokens which are used to buy their new-to-them school uniform.

Once everything has been sorted the event is declared open, and the shopping begins!

Shoppers check out the range of items hanging on the rails looking for suitable school items to take away with them, while they say goodbye as their old clothes go off to a new home.

Having made their choices, they then hand back the tokens in exchange for some new additions to their wardrobe.

Any tokens not used can be exchanged for items at future events or items available in the Impressions shops (pre-loved items only)

Caeryn said: “While our pockets benefit from swapping clothes in this way, so do our bins.

"In England nine million items of school uniform are worn every day.

"That’s a lot of garments that potentially go to landfill when they are finished with as school uniform can’t be recycled in the way general clothing is.”