Care-experienced young people can access free, good-quality clothing through Cat’s Wardrobe.
The sustainable clothing project was relaunched on 18 March at the People Place in Tameside One, celebrating the stories of the young people the Wardrobe has already supported and encouraging others to utilise the scheme.
Coordinated by Tameside Council staff, as part of the Children’s Services refreshed Community Parent Strategy, the initiative seeks to empower care-experienced people aged 16-21 by offering access to a variety of free clothing that will boost self-esteem. It also provides volunteering opportunities at the Wardrobe to support them in valuable employment experience.
It was originally launched as the Wardrobe Project last year and has now been renamed in honour of Cat, a passionate advocate for care-experienced young people who played a key role in launching and promoting the Wardrobe. Cat was the communications brain behind the project, organising photos and writing the piece that sold the idea to everyone.
Cat wanted all care experienced young people to know that help was available if needed and became a driving force in promoting the project. She continued to write articles asking for donations and without her it would not have had the impact it will have today and in the future.
The accessible scheme is based at Ashton Old Library and encourages a cycle of giving, with some of the young people donating back into the project. Visitors to the Wardrobe can take home up to five items, as well as having the option to trade their own second-hand clothing for more pieces.
Cat’s Wardrobe is a welcoming, safe space where young people can browse a range of options, with no judgement or stigma. To access the Wardrobe, they should speak with their personal advisor from the Leaving Care Team or social worker or complete the form here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=W2pygyYfQkKWfoHUxLihO0HE26VPZCdItT6EWSzKQW1UN1hBSDdGU01GSlVFNlpUWVUwRVQ2UEJZMiQlQCN0PWcu&origin=QRCode&route=shorturl.
