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Our magnificent Uniform Exchange volunteers have been highly praised by the King’s representative in West Yorkshire after he presented us with a top royal honour.

Uniform Exchange has now received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service – the equivalent of an MBE – for the outstanding work done by our volunteers to provide free second-hand school uniform to anyone who needs it throughout Kirklees, including some of the most deprived areas in the UK.

Demand is always soaring and we helped more than 11,000 children in 2024, giving them 100,000 items of school uniform.

We now have a team of more that 30 volunteers led by our founder Kate France who is our voluntary project director.

We formally received the stunning crystal award and certificate from HM Lord Lt of West Yorkshire Ed Anderson, CBE, who told Kate and the volunteers: “The scale and quality of what you do is incredible. I’ve presented around 60 of these awards and what I inevitably find is that the organisation is led by an individual bursting with creativity, determination and energy.

“They have a magic something about them that makes people want to follow them and we have that at Uniform Exchange with Kate France.

“This is an award for everybody – all the volunteers and everyone associated with this amazing organisation. Congratulations to Kate, all the trustees and everyone else who believes in this charity and its wonderful team.”

Chair of trustees Karen Hobson added: “Kate’s vision and passion to serve this community is immense. She is the chief volunteer who gives every ounce of her energy to the charity.”

Volunteers also run the charity’s fundraising shop on its Burbeary Road site which is simply called The Charity Shop.

Kate said: “I see the hard work all our volunteers do day in and day out to help thousands of families struggling financially across Kirklees.

“They do it with a smile, a determination and a passion to ensure that every child receives what they need to fully integrate into school which is such a critical foundation in their lives.

“This award is for our volunteers, a testament to all the countless hours they put in to help others and a fantastic recognition that their work is truly appreciated. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of them, past and present, on behalf of all the thousands of families they’ve helped.

“They make a real, tangible difference to the quality of people’s lives and that’s what community charities are all about, selflessly helping others.”

Uniform Exchange volunteer Deborah Rawcliffe said: “I wanted to support a service that helps others and school uniform is so desperately needed by people struggling to afford it. The cost of buying a full set of school uniform is ridiculous and simply unaffordable for people in dire straits who really need the help Uniform Exchange can provide.”

The event was held at Cathedral House, the home of Huddersfield Christian Fellowship on St Thomas’ Road in Huddersfield.

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Uniform Exchange was set up to help families struggling to buy school uniform and the demand on its services has grown massively in recent years.

Over the last 12 months it’s helped just over 10,000 pupils – around 15% of all Kirklees school children – and double the number it helped in 2022.

The charity has helped all 182 schools across Kirklees in 2023, saving parents almost £1m, and the largest family Uniform Exchange supports has nine children. It’s helped 4,000 pupils, giving away around 40,000 items of school uniform in just three months this year – June, July and August – which has kept around 8 tonnes out of landfill, saving the planet 40 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

So far in 2024, Uniform Exchange has given away more than 6,000 bags of school uniform which would stretch for 2 miles from its base at Lockwood to Luck Lane Primary Academy in Paddock.

Uniform Exchange founder and project director Kate France said: “The demand is growing at an incredible pace but the community rallies around and continues to donate tens of thousands of items of school uniform to us every year.

“Uniform Exchange has now become a major logistical exercise and our running costs are way beyond £100,000 a year but we have a fantastic team of volunteers and staff who have risen to the challenge and go above and beyond every day to ensure families get the uniform they need.

“Kirklees has several areas which are classed in the 10% most deprived areas in the country and we are seeing an upsurge in need from those areas where the cost-of-living crisis continues to make life incredibly difficult for families. We are now helping 230 children in just one Kirklees school alone.”

The Lockwood-based charity has a team of more than 30 volunteers who gave 10,227 hours of their time in 2023, the equivalent of 1,278 workdays.

Government guidelines say all schools must ensure that parents can access secondhand uniforms and should publish details on their website. To help schools do this in Kirklees, Uniform Exchange has set up a project called Sustainable Exchange where schools host their own pop-up school uniform giveaways, often organised by the pupils themselves.

Last year 22 schools set up 50 events in Kirklees, helping 1,388 children by giving away school uniform worth £26,812 to families.

The charity’s aim is for no school uniform to ever go into landfill in Kirklees which is why it has dozens of collection points at supermarkets, libraries, community centres and other places throughout the borough.

If people give school uniform to charity shops then the shops are encouraged to pass it on to Uniform Exchange and every item of lost property left in Kirklees sports centres is sent to Uniform Exchange if no-one collects it within three weeks.

This means the charity can provide vital sports kit alongside school uniform and Uniform Exchange also gives out winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves along with shoes, socks and underwear.

One parent described Uniform Exchange as: “The best initiative in Huddersfield. Saves me a fortune, is fantastic for the environment and gives kids a starting understanding of reusing and recycling.”

Another added: “Don’t be embarrassed about using secondhand uniform. It’s in great condition, no-one has to know and the Uniform Exchange staff are lovely.”

The charity was visited by the Mayor of Kirklees, Clr Nosheen Dad, who was amazed at the scale of the logistics operation.

“The work this charity does within the community is absolutely fantastic,” she said. “They saw there was a real need and then have done so much to meet that need which is continually growing to the point Uniform Exchange is now helping 10,000 children across Kirklees every year which is truly amazing.”

The charity has its own fundraising shop which has moved from a portable building at the charity’s base off Burbeary Road in Lockwood to a bigger space beneath its warehouse on the same site.

Simply called The Charity Shop, it sells secondhand clothes – some are designer labels such as North Face and Berghaus – for just a few pounds along with games, books and bric-a-brac.

Shop manager Danni Jones said: “We sell everything really cheap to bring money into the charity but also to make sure there is a continual changeover of stock.”

Customer Sophie Wood, of Marsh, said: “I donate to the shop just about every week but also buy from it most weeks too as there are always plenty of new items on the rails and it’s so much cheaper than some other charity shops which now charge high prices. The staff are so friendly too.”

The shop is open every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 3pm and on the last Thursday of the month people can fill a bag for a fiver which is stock that’s not sold over the previous month. The other staff who work in the shop are Tasha Dean and Bushra Sharif.

People wanting free school uniform need to fill in a quick online form on the Uniform Exchange website at School Uniform Support Huddersfield | Uniform Exchange (uniform-exchange.org)

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Only some items will be available and people can take around 6 items per child. No uniform which has school logos on will be available, just generic schoolwear.

The items available are grey trousers, pinafores, shorts and skirts; summer dresses in most colours and jumpers and cardigans in the more common colours.

All the items are free but donations to the charity are always welcome.

Uniform Exchange founder Kate France explains: “We have these days to give people a chance to come to us and get what they need although please bear in mind we do have limited stock and sizes for some of the items.

“People are more than welcome to also drop off any old school uniform they want to donate to the charity on the day and we can assure them that everything is either reused or recycled as we have a zero waste policy.

“People who attend the event can also submit orders for other uniform they need which is not available at the giveaway.”

The day is held at our base in Lockwood which is Uniform Exchange, Railway Sawmills, Burbeary Road, Huddersfield HD1 3UN. It’s a large compound right at the top of Burbeary Road which is a cul-de-sac.

For more details about the event go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1281317939494926/

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Uniform Exchange is part of the Big Help Out project in Kirklees which gives people the chance to try different volunteering roles.

It runs from Friday, June 7 to Sunday, June 9 and there will be lots of great taster volunteering activities across Kirklees.

People will have the opportunity to find out more about some fantastic charities and organisations doing good things in the local area.

Becky Bracey, volunteer services lead at Third Sector Leaders in Kirklees, said: “We are delighted that the Big Help Out is back to showcase some fantastic ways to volunteer in our local community.

“People often tell us they don’t have time to help but volunteering has changed and there are now so many ways to volunteer that are flexible and still make a difference.

“We know that volunteering has lots of benefits for the volunteer too, including making new connections, improving wellbeing and boosting your CV.

“We hope the Big Help Out will inspire more people to get involved in volunteering in Kirklees.”

Here at Uniform Exchange we have taster volunteer session on Friday 7^th, Saturday 8^th or Sunday 9^th June from 10am to 2pm each day at our base in Lockwood.

Have a go at some practical tasks such as sorting and folding donations and find out more about what we do. Travel expenses and snacks provided. 

Book your place here https://tslkirklees.org.uk/volunteering-roles/entry/big-help-out-7th-8th-or-9th-june-uniform-exchange-39957/

Overall, there will be 20 local voluntary organisations promoting what they do so for more information go to this Huddersfield Hub story at https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/find-out-more-about-volunteering-in-kirklees-with-the-return-of-the-big-help-out/

 To find out more about volunteering in Kirklees go to the TSL website at https://tslkirklees.org.uk/volunteering-roles/ or e-mail volunteer@tslkirklees.org.uk or Tel/Text/Whatsapp: 07776 588691.

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Review Date: March 2022

Latest Training: November 2021 delivered by TSL

Policy Aims: 

Uniform Exchange will not tolerate the abuse of adults in any form and is committed to safeguarding adults with care and support needs from harm who engage with in volunteering.

This policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of Uniform Exchange to promote the welfare of adults with care and support needs, and protect them from abuse and neglect. All volunteers of Uniform Exchange are expected to understand their responsibilities in safeguarding adults and follow this policy.  This includes volunteers and trustees.

Definitions       

The Care Act 2014 provides a definition and framework for Safeguarding Adults:                                                                                                    

Safeguarding adults at risk means protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. An adult is anyone of 18 years of age or over. (Anyone under 18 years of age will be covered by our Safeguarding Children Policy).

It involves protecting adults at risk from abuse or neglect and putting plans in place to prevent harm in the future. It involves helping people to live as well as possible and to remain healthy and have their independence maintained.

Safeguarding adults at risk is everyone’s business. We all have a duty to report concerns if we think someone is being abused or neglected.

Who is an adult at risk?

An adult at risk is someone

• Who has needs for care and support (whether or not those needs are currently being met),
• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
• as a result of those needs is unable to protect themselves against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

An adult at risk could include:

• An older person who is frail due to ill health, physical disability or cognitive impairment
• Has a learning disability
• Has a physical disability and/or sensory impairment
• Has mental health needs including dementia
• Has a long-term illness/condition
• Lacks the mental capacity to make particular decisions and is in need of care

This list is not exhaustive

We will enable all our volunteers and those who work with us to make informed and confident decisions regarding safeguarding issues and take all suspicions and allegations of abuse seriously.  We expect everyone (volunteers and anyone working on behalf of Uniform Exchange) to have read, understood and adhere to our safeguarding procedures.

Uniform Exchange will take every reasonable step to ensure that adults at risk are protected where:

• Our own team are directly involved in a project, programme or provision of services;
• We work in partnership with another organisation.

We will endeavour to safeguard adults at risk by:

• Valuing them, listening to and respecting them;
• Adopting this policy and adhering to our safeguarding procedures;
• Ensuring we have a safer recruitment process for every person recruited by Uniform Exchange and ensuring all the necessary checks are made where applicable
• Providing effective management of volunteers through supervision, support and training;
• Sharing information about safeguarding good practice with occasional volunteers, and other relevant parties;
• Ensure organisations we work with or partner have appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place;
• Reviewing this policy and procedures, and updating as appropriate.

Making Safeguarding Personal

Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) means it should be person-led and outcome-focussed. We aim to empower people and provide them with the information they need to make decisions into how to be safe from abuse and reduce risks.

Mental Capacity Act

Adults must be assumed to have capacity to make their own decisions and be given all practical help before anyone treats them as not being able to make their own decision. Where an adult is found to lack capacity to make a decision then we will work in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and seek support and guidance where necessary.

Safeguarding Principles

Uniform Exchange will adhere to the six key principles of safeguarding:

Empowerment
People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and informed consent.

Prevention
It is better to take action before harm occurs.

Proportionality
The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.

Protection
Support and representation for those in greatest need.

Partnership
Local solutions through services working with their communities. Communities have a part to play in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse.

Accountability
Accountability and transparency in safeguarding practice.

Consent, Confidentiality and Information Sharing

The Designated Safeguarding Lead, Helen Haddon, will be responsible for making decisions about sharing information with external agencies including the police and local authority.

We must always respect someone’s right to confidentiality and seek their consent to share information. Confidentiality can be overridden if there is evidence that sharing information is necessary in exceptional circumstances. These are:

• If an adults lacks mental capacity to protect themselves
• If a crime has been committed (or about to be)
• If there are concerns about abuse in an organisation
• If there are concerns about a member of staff /volunteer
• If abuse is occurring in a setting where care takes place
• If other people are at risk (including a child)
• If someone is in a life – threatening situation and in need of emergency services

Record Keeping

Uniform Exchange is committed to keeping accurate and factual records of all safeguarding concerns that are reported. All safeguarding records will be kept securely and confidentially. Records must be factual, accurate and legible and include a date, time and signature.

Safer Recruitment

Uniform Exchange aims to do everything possible to minimise the risk of involving unsuitable people in our work with adults at risk. All staff and volunteers will have clear role/job descriptions which will be assessed for regulated activity. DBS checks will be undertaken for individuals who are undertaking regulated activity, these will be renewed on a 3-yearly basis as a very maximum.

We will carry out safer recruitment practices for all volunteers and staff including application form, obtaining references, undertaking interviews and regular supervision.

Training

All staff, committee members and volunteers with received appropriate safeguarding training in line with their role and responsibilities at Uniform Exchange which will include basic awareness training as a minimum requirement.

Reporting a Concern

Any member of staff, committee member or volunteer who becomes aware that an adult is being abused, or is at risk of being abused or has a safeguarding concern must raise the matter immediately with their Supervisor or the Safeguarding Lead. XXXX Safeguarding Procedures (see appendix) will be followed.

Whistleblowing

All volunteers should feel able to raise concerns about poor safeguarding practice within Uniform Exchange and concerns will be taken seriously by the Trustees.

Review of Policy

This policy will be reviewed annually and amended when necessary.  It may also be reviewed should any new, relevant legislation require this.

UNIFORM EXCHANGE SAFEGUARDING ADULTS AT RISK – PROCEDURES

Uniform Exchange is committed to ensuring that safeguarding is paramount when conducting or delivering any activity that involves working with adults at risk.

Procedures for staff, stakeholders/volunteers

It is responsibility of the Trustees to ensure that the safeguarding procedure is adhered to and to support staff/stakeholders/volunteers in upholding their professional conduct.

What to do upon suspicion or disclosure:

Uniform Exchange is not a statutory agency and has no right to undertake investigations into concerns regarding Adult and Child Protection.  Referrals should be directed to the appropriate local Children or Adult Social Services Contact Centres.

Safeguarding Procedures

• The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Helen Haddon Chair of Trustees, all concerns must be referred to this person.

• The safeguarding report form should be used to report safeguarding concerns relating to Adults at risk. In an emergency please do not delay in informing the Police / Ambulance. All the information provided must be treated as confidential and reported to the Safeguarding Lead within one working day.

• If you are unable to contact a member of staff, use the contact numbers at the end of the form.

• The form should be completed at the time or immediately following the disclosure, but after all necessary emergency actions have been taken. Please complete the form as fully as possible.

• Remember staff/volunteers must make clear to the adult at risk that they cannot guarantee confidentiality

Details of safeguarding contacts in Kirklees

In an event where the Designated Safeguarding Lead is unavailable and you have a concern that an adult in Kirklees is being abused or mistreated speak to someone at one of the following numbers:

Kirklees Gateway to Care
01484 414933
gatewaytocare@kirklees.gov.uk

Report online: www.kirklees.gov.uk/reportabuse

In an emergency call the police on 999

If a person is not in immediate danger call the police on 101.

For Child Safeguarding Concerns:

Kirklees Duty and Advice Team
01484 5468848

Kirklees Emergency Duty Service
01484 414933 (outside office hours)

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000

NSPCC email: help@nspcc.org.uk

Signs of Abuse

Physical abuse – including assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions.

Domestic violence – including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse; so called ‘honour’ based violence.

Sexual abuse – including rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts, indecent exposure and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented or was pressured into consenting.

Psychological abuse – including emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, cyber bullying, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or supportive networks.

Financial or material abuse – including theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.

Modern slavery – slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. People are bought and sold for sexual exploitation, forced labour, street crime, cannabis cultivation, grooming and pimping, domestic servitude, forced marriage or even the sale of organs and human sacrifice. How to report Modern Slavery.

Discriminatory abuse – including forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment; because of race, gender and gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

Organisational abuse – including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home, for example, or in relation to care provided in one’s own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill-treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.

Neglect and acts of omission – including ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services, the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating

Self-neglect – this covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding. It involves no other perpetrator.

OTHER SAFEGUARDING CONSIDERATIONS

Channel/Prevent General Awareness

Prevent is supporting people who may be vulnerable to radicalisation. Radicalisation is when someone starts to believe or support extreme views. They could be pressured to do things illegal by someone else. Or they might change their behaviour and beliefs. If you have a concern you should raise this with your Safeguarding Lead/ Supervisor/Manager.

Further resources, training and guidance can be found at :

Kirklees Safeguarding Adults Board website – lots of good resources including factsheets

NCVO – national guidance tools and tips for the third sector on safeguarding:

Government guidance on handling a safeguarding allegation within a charity:

Disclosure and Barring Service (including eligibility tool):

NACRO advice on recruiting people with a criminal record and how to deal with disclosures:

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For the youngsters at Kirkheaton Primary School have been inspired by the Huddersfield-based Uniform Exchange free school uniform charity to hold uniform giveaways in school.

At the latest one they gave away 33 dresses, 30 jumpers, 25 pairs of shorts and eight polo shirts. The items would have cost between £758 and £936 new.

There are a lot of plastics in school uniform so the amount passed on at this event is equal to saving 106 plastic bottles from landfill.

Uniform Exchange schools ambassador Ros Farrell said: “That is one of the most successful pop-up event we’ve seen yet and we would urge all schools to do the same. The giveaways only take a few minutes to set up yet save parents a fortune having to buy new uniform and also keeps a lot of the uniform from being thrown away and ending up in landfill.”

Ros has teamed up with the school’s Eco Club which has 31 children aged from seven to 11 to promote the importance of donating and receiving school uniform items from Uniform Exchange.

Year One class teacher Gianna Shepherd, who also runs the school’s Eco Club, said: “Ros explained to us that an average uniform is the equivalent to 11 plastic bottles. We talked about how it is a far more sustainable option to donate old uniform items to friends, family members or the Uniform Exchange donation box in our school because it would otherwise end up in a landfill which could mean more plastic eventually ending up in our rivers and seas.

“We looked at how Uniform Exchange collects our donations, cleans and repairs them and then we can offer free pop-up events throughout the year so parents have a more sustainable and economical option.”

After listening to Ros, some of the Eco Club members were inspired to give an assembly to the whole school to tell everyone why reusing school uniform is so important.

The pop-up giveaway was a highlight of the school’s Eco Week and a great success with one pupil saying: “It was the best shopping experience ever because I found a pile of clothes for free.”

Gianna added: “It was fantastic and there was a real buzz in the air. I think the best part was seeing the children help each other look for their size and the items they were after.

“It was a lovely experience for the children and they were blown away when we began to calculate how much they had saved their parents. I think this made it tangible for them to realise how easy it can be to make a positive difference. They found it really empowering.” 

One of the pupils involved was Grace Rocke.

Her mum, Donna Thompson, said: “Grace came home shouting that she had saved me £75 by securing some new uniforms for her and her little sister for the summer term. She told me she had priced up the items to work out the saving and was surprised at how much uniforms cost. Hopefully this will encourage her to take care of hers!

“I think this is a great concept, especially during the cost-of-living crisis where budgets are very tight.”

Another pupil who helped organise the event was Ellie Smith, who said: “It wasn’t just good, it was amazing.”

Schools wanting to organise their own uniform giveaways can contact Uniform Exchange by phoning 07955 724789 or emailing info@uniform-exchange.org

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When our charity was first set up in 2011 most of the collections and donations were made through libraries and Sure Start children’s centres but over the years the centres have shut with schools, supermarket and community centres also becoming vital collection points.

Uniform Exchange founder and project director Kate France said: “We wouldn’t have set up in the first place without the help of Kirklees libraries and couldn’t have run the charity without their support.”

Around 15 libraries are involved with most both collection and distribution points. This means people can donate school uniform there and once it’s been sorted and cleaned at Uniform Exchange the bags of uniform go back out to the libraries for collection by people who have requested it.

In the first three months of 2023, 125 of the 945 bags of school uniform given out went through libraries which is 13%.

Kate added: “It just shows what can be achieved with charities and libraries working together for the good of the communities they both serve. Library staff are brilliant – we have some great ambassadors for Uniform Exchange among them – and so committed to helping people to make sure they get what they need. Some even help them fill out request forms.

“At one point last summer Dewsbury library had 25 bags of school uniform waiting for collection.”

Library customer service officer Sally Kerry works at six libraries in the Colne Valley and Holme Valley and says all are busy as both collection and distribution points.

She was so impressed with Uniform Exchange she spent a day volunteering at its warehouse in Lockwood.

“The quality of the free school uniform they give away is always very good,” she said. “Having seen the operation in the library I was interested in finding out more about how it all works and when I went to the warehouse saw just how well organised it is from the moment the school uniform comes in, how it is checked for quality and cleanliness and then goes out again to people who have requested it.”

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Uniform Exchange gives away thousands of school uniforms to families across Kirklees every year and the need for our services has reached record levels as the cost of living crisis continues to take a heavy toll on people’s finances.

There are 15,000 children in Kirklees living in poverty – the equivalent of one in four households – and the number of children needing help from us is expected to be more than 7,000 this year.

It’s very easy to donate coats, hats, scarves and gloves – anything that keeps the winter chill out. Simply drop them off at any of the many Uniform Exchange collection points spread across Kirklees. To find the one nearest to you go to https://uniform-exchange.org/donation-points/

Last year we gave out 2,300 coats – up from 1,600 the year before – along with many hats, gloves and scarves.

More and more schools are now organising their own uniform and coats giveaway events in school to make it even easier for parents to get school uniform and warm winter clothing for free. Any schools or community groups doing this are urged to contact us so we can support you with graphics and digital posts to help promote your event.

Uniform Exchange project director Kate France said: “It’s expected to be extremely cold this winter with temperatures already starting to plummet but, sadly, many children in Kirklees are not prepared for it.

“The high energy prices mean many families won’t be able to afford heating and electricity so more children will be relying on warm clothing than ever before.

“Having your support in these cold winter months will help us ensure all Kirklees children have access to coats, gloves, hats, scarves and feel happier to attend school, allowing them to be warm, feel included and be more inclined to learn.

“Now is the time to check your coat rack at home and the places you keep your hats, gloves and scarves to root out anything you no longer need. You’ll be freeing up space at home while helping us at the same time.

“If you can donate a good, preloved coat suitable for school we’ll find a child in Kirklees who can reuse it.” 

To request a free coat contact the Uniform Exchange team on 07955 724789 or email info@uniform-exchange.org. Alternatively, visit https://uniform-exchange.org/ to learn more about Uniform Exchange or to donate money to support the charity.

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The council’s Adults Transformation team spent half a day at our warehouse in Lockwood and were amazed at the scale of what we do day in and day out.

The team’s Service Development Manager, Rebecca Morrison, said: “We were amazed by the size of the operation and how well co-ordinated it all was. We worked on sorting donations into those clothes and footwear that could be given to other children, those that could be sold in the charity shop and those that could be recycled elsewhere. Nothing goes to waste.

“Thank you so much for all the hard work that you do, for making Kirklees a better place for so many children and for our volunteering opportunity. Truly inspiring. What a wonderfully positive environment.”

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