Impington Village College donates half a tonne of old school uniform to help refugees

The Parents, Staff & Friends Association (PSFA) at Impington Village College (IVC) is donating almost half a tonne of unwanted school uniform to a local charity that collects clothing for refugees in France.

The clothing, which is surplus to requirements following a change in the college’s dress code, will be handed over to Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group on Monday 6th March at 2pm at Impington Village College. The uniform will then be sorted by volunteers and shipped to Calais, Dunkirk and Paris – along with food, toiletries and other useful items donated by local Cambridge residents.

IVC PFSA has a surfeit of second hand school uniform after the college moved to a new house system and a vertical approach to tutoring. The change in the school’s structure involved the introduction of new house colours and logos, which meant that old items of uniform, which would normally have been suitable for resale, were superfluous.

In the past, IVC PFSA has resold items of school uniform donated by students moving on to further education or pupils who have simply outgrown their clothing. These second hand sales to incoming student cohorts enable new pupils and their parents to purchase quality uniform at a discounted price. They also generate additional income to fund good causes within the school.

Keen to avoid sending the out-of-date uniform to landfill, PFSA volunteers started to think about alternative options. Scrolling through Facebook one evening, PFSA Co-Chair Claire Richards, noticed that Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group (CamCRAG) was looking for unwanted clothing to send to refugees in France.

Lara Brettell, CamCRAG Chair, said: "We're very grateful to the parents and staff at Impington for this donation - it is a great way to ensure these clothes get used to help others. "There are still thousands of refugees in Calais, Dunkirk and Paris with more arriving every day. Having fled from civil wars and oppressive regimes and made the journey across Europe many have very little. Being able to provide them with warm, clean clothes is vital. "Once again we have been touched by the kindness of residents in Cambridge and surrounding villages who have responded so generously to the refugee crisis in Europe."

Mr Ryan Kelsall, IVC Principal, said: “This is great way to recycle our old, redundant uniform and prevent it going to landfill. We are thrilled that all of this warm clothing will be sent to Northern France and donated to young adults and vulnerable refugees that need quality garments to keep the cold at bay until the warmer spring weather arrives.”