Families who wish to avail of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s School Uniform Scheme will be able to arrange collection from one of a number of locations across the Borough during August.
The hugely successful initiative has been delivered in partnership with Mid and East Antrim Community Advice Services (MEACAS) and supported by the Mid and East Antrim Poverty Action Group (MEAPAG).
This scheme was initially piloted across the Borough in July 2019 and has been providing good quality pre-worn school uniforms ever since. It can cost families up to £300 per child to buy school uniform ready for the new academic year. This places additional stress on families and in these tough times - with budgets already stretched - it could be ‘make or break’ for some of the households of the 30k schoolchildren in the Borough.
This year, as with previous years, MEA’s wonderful residents have been extremely supportive of the scheme and Council wish to say a big thank you to all who have donated over recent weeks.
Collection points will open on Monday 31 July 2023 to those who are in need of items of school clothing.
Collection Points:
• Ballymena: The Braid, 1-29 Bridge Street, Monday to Friday, 10am - 3pm
• Larne: Unit 5, Murrayfield Shopping Centre, Larne, Monday to Friday, 10am - 3pm
• Carrickfergus: Education Room, Civic Centre, 11 Antrim Street, Monday to Friday, 10am - 3pm
*Please note: All venues will be closed for the Bank Holiday on Monday 28th August 2023.
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna, said:
“We’re delighted to be running this initiative once again. We have seen a fantastic number of school uniform items being donated throughout July.
“This scheme not only makes good financial sense, italso strengthens communities and reduces our impact on the environment. On average, each household bins more than 25kg of textiles a year. So rather than adding to the landfill volumes, families can help play their part in helping to sustain our beautiful environment.”
The school uniform scheme has accepted all good quality garments including trousers, coats, skirts, cardigans, blazers, shoes, jackets, trainers, jumpers, sports kits, polo shirts and dresses. The scheme is open to all families who require school uniform items – there is no qualifying criteria, and a referral is not required to access the scheme.
School uniforms are free of charge and uniform items are subject to availability. Beneficiaries will be asked to complete a very short questionnaire, which will be anonymous and allow Council to measure impact.
For further information, log on to www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/Uniform-Exchange