WITH the new school year right around the corner, many parents are being faced with the extortionate cost of school uniforms.

Across Wirral, 13 hubs, all run by volunteers, are working tirelessly to clothe children with second-hand school uniforms in a bid to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and to help save the planet.

Wirral FUSS (Free UniformS for School) is a local charity that collects donated uniforms for all schools across the borough and recycles the pre-loved uniforms by giving them away to parents for free.

Wirral Globe: Wirral FUSS in BirkenheadWirral FUSS in Birkenhead (Image: Rebecca McGrath)

Petra Davies, project co-ordinator for Wirral FUSS, told the Globe: “We collect outgrown uniforms and give them away to whoever needs them. There’s no referral process, no ID needed, and no questions asked. If we have a uniform to fit a child in need then we will give it away no stigma attached.”

Buying uniforms is becoming a bigger concern for families trying to navigate the cost of living crisis as the prices of school uniforms soar. Meaning for hubs like FUSS, the demand for what they offer is only increasing.  

Petra said: “We’ve definitely seen an increase since the cost-of-living crisis in people using the hubs. In quarter two, which is April through to the end of June, we were up by 57% compared to last year and we are projecting 2,500 requests in the 12 weeks across the hubs this quarter - so that’s around about 500 increases in last year.

Wirral Globe: Petra Davies, project co-ordinator for Wirral FUSS (left) with volunteer PatPetra Davies, project co-ordinator for Wirral FUSS (left) with volunteer Pat (Image: Rebecca McGrath)

“We listen to parents’ stories all the time and we hear them, but we want to reassure them that we have got uniforms for them and it’s okay. Even if we don’t have something specific they need in stock and we can only help them with generic items at least we have helped them to save some money.

“Everybody is talking about the cost of living, and we’ve also seen a huge amount of refugees and asylum seekers too. We’ve clothed around 200 children in this position in this last academic year.

Wirral Globe: Recycled school shoes at the Birkenhead hubRecycled school shoes at the Birkenhead hub (Image: Rebecca McGrath)

“We’ve been clothing more diverse people than we have in the last 11 years but it’s great seeing so many different people coming in and accessing the service.”

The Department for Education (DfE) cost of school uniform guidance means schools in England must ensure that school uniform costs are “reasonable”, and parents get the “best value for money”.

Petra said the statutory guidance is something she and her volunteers are noticing more schools are following.

She said: “We’ve noticed that some schools in Wirral are starting to listen to what they are being told and we’ve noticed that they're starting to simplify their uniform which is so positive to see.

Wirral Globe: School ties are also available at Wirral FUSS hubsSchool ties are also available at Wirral FUSS hubs (Image: Rebecca McGrath)

“We’ve seen schools abandon school years, houses, and other colour systems and are telling parents to just use whatever they can get. This is really helping families and us too because it means we can reduce the numbers we carry and can have higher quality control.

“I think if more schools could look at simplifying things it would really help families with the cost of living.”

As well as helping families with the current economic climate, Wirral FUSS is also trying to help improve the environmental crisis.

Wirral Globe: Wirral FUSS (Free UniformS for School) is a local charity which collects donated uniforms for schools all across the borough and then recycles the pre-loved uniforms by giving them away to parents for freeWirral FUSS (Free UniformS for School) is a local charity which collects donated uniforms for schools all across the borough and then recycles the pre-loved uniforms by giving them away to parents for free (Image: Rebecca McGrath)

Petra said: “A lot of parents will tell you when a child grows out of something that there’s still plenty of wear left in it and instead of throwing it away why not reuse it?

“We have people from all walks of life across the Wirral who use us and it’s not because they can’t afford it it’s because they want to help try and save the planet and they want to see that recycling happen.

“A lot of recycling is actually driven by the children now I think older generations of parents don’t want second hand but we don’t want that stigma we want to push recycling and we want to see these clothes on children.”

Wirral Globe: Parents are able to collect any uniform items they may need Parents are able to collect any uniform items they may need (Image: Rebecca McGrath)

While visiting the Wirral FUSS hub in Birkenhead, one parent, who asked not to be named, told the Globe: “It’s my first time here today I came after one of my friends told me about it. What I’ve seen is so amazing. It’s helping so many people.

“I was struggling a lot worrying about how I was going to be able to afford back to school but I have found myself so much stuff thanks to the volunteers here.

Wirral Globe: Wirral FUSS at the Grange Precinct in Birkenhead Wirral FUSS at the Grange Precinct in Birkenhead (Image: Rebecca McGrath)

“I am so glad to be here. Paying my bills at the moment is overwhelming so I was worried about how I was going to afford new uniforms on top of that. But today I’ve managed to get two coats, four t-shirts, a skirt, and a cardigan for my two girls. All of this would have cost me so much money but now I’ve got it for free.

“Places like this are so important and it’s helping so many families like myself who are struggling with the cost of living.”