Community Gateway Association’s pop-up school uniform points help more than 200 Preston children

Smart Uniform in Preston making a donation to Community Gateway’s efforts

A free school uniform store provided by a city housing association has been visited by more than 100 families.

Hard-pressed parents were invited to Community Gateway Association’s headquarters at Preston Docks as well as a community-based pop-up uniform store in Ribbleton.

Community Gateway say 215 children received 805 free items of uniform.

Donations of the uniform came from charity Rebuild with Hope along with Smart Uniform based in Preston.

Colleagues at Gateway and other organisations in the city also donated to the pop-up uniform shops.

Anonymised feedback from parents using the school uniform shops included one tenant who said: “I picked up some school uniforms from your main office. I was able to share the uniforms between myself and three other families within my community and they were all very appreciative. Thank you once again for your support during this high cost of living crisis.”

Another said: “Thank you for the uniform items from the pop-up shop, what a marvellous idea it was for you to run. I’m very appreciative of the items that will help enormously with my four children, three of who are in expensive high-school uniform. You’ve taken away the trouble of having to buy one for the youngest, so thank you!”

Gateway’s Engagement and Communications Manager, Sian Coulton, said: “At Community Gateway we work closely with our tenants in the heart of our communities, so we are aware of the issues people are facing.

“Our Community Engagement Team recognised that buying new school uniform was a worry for lots of people and decided to hold free uniform sessions in the run up to the start of the new school year.”