Welsh Churches Help Families Get Back to School in Cost-of-Living Crisis

With the start of the school year about to begin and the cost-of-living crisis putting pressure on families’ finances, churches and communities in the Diocese of Llandaff have set up projects to make school uniforms available and affordable for all.

Briton Ferry Community Shop, supported by trustees in the area including St Mary's Church, is selling all school uniform items they have received as donations for £1. Ann Mayers, part of St David’s Neath Parish Church, has been integral to the running of the shop. Ann said she has been thanked for this set up by customers because they can come into a shop and pay for the clothes meaning it does not feel like a charity handout but is still very affordable.

The items in the shop are donated, sorted and washed ready to be sold and any clothing not suitable for resale is collected by a company for which the shop also receives money, but Ann said she is shocked by the amount of clothes that come in which are brand new including white school shirts in packets.

Fr Richard Green, vicar of St Fagans Church and part of the Cynon Valley School Uniform Exchange project said donating uniform exchanges means useable clothes do not end up in landfill and reduces the demand for the manufacture of new uniform, both of which help the environment. In the local communities of Cwmdare, Trecynon and Llwydcoed which St Fagans serves, it has not been only families in financial need that have used the Exchange this year; many have been inspired by the ecological aspect of reusing and recycling.

“The Exchange is a small way in which we can try and so something about this,” said Fr Richard. “And finally, we believe in trying to protect God’s creation, and so the environmental benefits of the scheme are part of this.”

This is the essence of the command to 'love your neighbour'.

Cynon Valley School Uniform Exchange which has been running out of St Fagan Church Community Hall since 2019, and only missed one year during the pandemic, namely 2020. People in the community are invited to donate items of school uniform which is no longer needed but still in good condition.

Fr Richard and the St Fagans team are aware from the various other projects St Fagans run that the financial pressures on families when it comes to buying school uniforms are great. Uniforms are an ongoing cost for families, as children grow and/or move schools. For the same reason, there will be many families with old uniform that can no longer be used but is still in good condition.

Fr Richard said, “We feel it is important for the church to be involved in this kind of project because we believe in the value of community: of people coming together to help each other. This is the essence of the command to “love your neighbour”. We also believe in working for a fairer, more just society, where people don’t go without simply because of their economic status.”

Diocesan Senior Outreach Officer, Christoph Auckland, believes church's play a vital role in helping school children get a good start to their education.

He said, "School is a foundational period in a child’s life and the impact of clothing on a child’s mental health cannot be overstated. With the cost-of-living biting hard into families and the average new uniform costing over £300 for many this is one bill too far. Uniform exchanges, vouchers and grant schemes are essential to helping children feel confident and comfortable as they start school, but that only goes so far and there is much more that can be done to ensure uniforms are affordable for everyone. It’s simple things like removing excessive logos and unnecessary branding, not using unusual colours so cheaper replacement items can be found in supermarkets and having one standard unform not winter and summer uniforms.”

Briton Ferry Community Shop has now sold out of one of the school uniforms they provide showing the need in the community for the service. Ann said, “Everybody wants their child to go to school dressed tidy.”

The community shop has been running for 26 years and each year the money it raises goes back into the community in the form of grants for local projects. Last year £18,000 was given away in grants. The church also receives some of the money for its own maintenance and projects.

Ann said, “The biggest reward is when we give those grant cheques out and I can see what it means to the people that's getting them in different organisations. It means a lot to them so they can continue to do what they do. We help schools, Cancer Challenge, Friends of Hospitals and Breast Care. But the little groups like the art groups probably wouldn't be able to continue without a little bit of help from us. I'm always on cloud nine that day.”