Council uniform swap shop campaign wins a second national award

Published: Fri 11 October, 2024

North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) is celebrating after being recognised nationally for the second time for its School Uniform Swap Shop Campaign that ran earlier this year.

The already award-winning School Uniform Swap Shop has been crowned winners of the best waste minimisation or prevention project at the LARAC Conference Celebration Awards 2024.

As well as supporting local families to pass on and find free school uniform, the campaign has this year partnered up with Leicestershire Children’s Holidays which has stopped over 442kg of school uniform from going to landfill.

Last year, 90.7kg of school uniform was diverted from landfill.

Earlier in the year, NWLDC won the Reuse Initiative of the Year in the 2024 Award for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management.

Councillor Michael Wyatt, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Climate Change at NWLDC, said: “It is brilliant to see this excellent campaign nationally recognised not only once, but twice.

“Winning this second award really shows how effective this campaign has been.

“Not only has it helped families around the district financially, but it has given school uniform another life and stopped a lot from going to landfill.

“Thank you to everyone who has worked behind the scenes on this project and to everyone who has supported this campaign.”

Food Poverty Officer Helen Crouch, the officer who ran the campaign at NWLDC, said: “The award isn’t just for us, it’s for everybody who has supported the School Uniform Swap Shop.

“Thank you to everyone who has used the Swap Shop, to our Community Focus Team and to all of the venues who have hosted us.”