Merseyway school uniform donations help raise over £800 for a Stockport food bank

A pop-up school uniform shop at Merseyway Shopping Centre has raised over £800 for Chelwood Food Bank by selling secondhand school uniform donated by local people.

The shop opened during August and stocked good quality, preloved school items that were ready to be re-worn and could be purchased for a small donation of 50p per item.

With more than 4,000 items of school uniform sold, £890 in proceeds were raised, with all money going to support a local food bank in the borough.

The entire project was run and managed by Merseyway staff and the local Neighbourhood team, who volunteered their time to help sort and merchandise the shop which provided local parents with massive savings during the cost-of-living crisis, while also providing a sustainable option for families looking at ways to help the environment.

Merseyway Centre Manager, Victoria Nichol (pictured, centre) said:

“It’s a difficult time for our shoppers at the moment. With energy bills on the rise amongst other living costs, we wanted to help our local community by providing them with an opportunity to purchase quality, secondhand school items for a small donation. As food prices are also on the rise and many families are struggling, we knew it was important to put all the donated funds back into the community, and by working with Chelwood Food Bank, we know these much-needed funds will help to support local people in crisis. This project has been a real labour of love for the centre and wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated team who gave up hours of their time to sort through uniforms and manage the shop each day.”