Whether it’s the cost of essential childcare or activities to keep the kids entertained, many are concerned they just won’t have enough to pay for school uniforms when the new academic year finally rolls around in August, so are having to make cut-backs in response.

And it’s understandable. The latest research shows parents spend an average of almost £300 per year on primary school uniforms and more than £400 per year on secondary school uniforms. And so, to help ease the pressure, The Leith Collective is launching its free school uniform exchange on Saturday 1st June.

The exchange will take place at all four of The Leith Collective stores – at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal and Fort Kinnaird, Glasgow Fort and their brand new store at Dundee’s Overgate. The Community Interest Company is calling on locals to donate good quality uniforms, shoes, schoolbags and lunchboxes to those in need. Items will be available for anyone to collect completely free of charge, no questions asked.

The initiative is the brainchild of The Leith Collective founder, Sara Thomson, who has just returned from 10 Downing Street after receiving a personal invitation from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. This was Sara’s third visit to Downing Street, having previously been invited by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss the positive impact of The Leith Collective’s important work on the community.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the free school uniform exchange, Sara said: “The cost of living crisis is seemingly relentless, and there is now a generation of children growing up who have never known anything other than cut-backs and stressed-out parents struggling to make ends meet. So, we’re taking action to help lighten the parent’s load by removing the expense of buying a new school uniform and helping the ‘cut-back kids’ get the best possible start to their education.”

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