Derbion hails success of school uniform initiative

Derbion has revealed the successful outcome of its recent school uniform initiative in partnership with Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance.

The five-day event, which recently took place in the pop-up School Uniform Hub at the shopping centre, saw pre-loved and donated school uniforms worth more than £7,300 given away to local families, alleviating some of the financial pressure on parents in the community.

More than 600 primary and secondary children visited the hub to pick up free school uniform items as part of the initiative.

The pop-up event was staffed by 45 volunteers, including 14 employees from Derbion, who volunteered 89 hours of their time.

Beth McDonald, managing director at Derbion, said: “From kitting out the School Uniform Hub with rails, hangers and display equipment thanks to generous donations from retailers including River Island, Frasers and M&S, Poundland and NEXT, to members of team Derbion volunteering more than 80 hours to staff the pop-up event, it’s been wonderful to see the true difference this initiative has had.”

Paul Brookhouse, senior manager at DF4TA, said: “We’ve seen first-hand how receiving these items has relieved stress for parents who might otherwise struggle to afford the necessary uniforms, possibly leading to food insecurity, so we’re extremely grateful to Derbion for its ongoing support, which has helped bring our initiative to life in the heart of the city for the second consecutive year.”