A community shop where families on a low income can purchase uniform and other school necessities free in time for the new school year is set to open in the centre of Manchester.
The shop which is run by children’s charity Wood Street Mission will stock new and second hand non-branded school uniform, sports kit, shoes and stationary donated to the charity’s SmartStart appeal – as well as 500 new coats purchased by a £15,000 grant from the Brian Kennedy Trust.
Families living in Manchester and Salford will be allocated credit based on family size to use in the shop so they can ensure their children are kitted out correctly in time for the new school year.
Roseanne Sweeney chief executive of Wood Street Mission said: “Families on a low income often struggle to afford the cost of uniform and other essential school kit for the new school year which puts them at risk of getting into debt or having to go without other essentials. Our community shop will take a bit of pressure off family budgets and allow their children go back to school in the right uniform so they fit in and can engage at school.”
SmartStart Manchester & Salford aims to distribute one million pounds worth of school uniform and sports kit to local families by 2019 – enough to give each of the 55,000 children living below the poverty line in the two boroughs a school uniform.
Over 2000 children have been referred to the project over the summer and will be kitted out in new uniform supplied by a well-known school wear company. The community shop, which will stock goods donated by supporters, community organisations and local businesses, will provide families with additional help in the run up to September.
The back-to-school shop opens on Tuesday 16 August at 10 am.
