Castle Quay's school uniform swap raises £400 for Banbury charity

The event was organised by the team at Castle Quay to encourage parents to redistribute their children’s school uniforms rather than throw them away so that other families could use them, helping to reduce costs and waste.

Families were invited to drop off washed branded and non-branded uniforms, as well as shirts, trainers, and coats, at the centre’s customer service desk throughout July.

Visitors to Saturday’s swap shop were then able to take what they needed and make donations to the centre’s charity partner, The Sunshine Centre, if they were able to.

The generosity of the swap shop visitors raised £402 for the charity that offers practical help, advice, guidance, and emotional support to families in Banbury.

Oliver Wren, centre director at Castle Quay Shopping Centre, said: "We have been overwhelmed by the support and success of our first school uniform swap shop. We received thousands of items from families within the community, ensuring successful visits from shoppers on the day.

"We sorted all the items in sections according to school name, size, and colours to make the shopping experience as simple as possible. Thank you again to everyone that donated.

"We were thrilled with how much was raised on the day and were very pleased to hand these funds to our charity partner, The Sunshine Centre. Lastly, I’d like to thank our brilliant team for giving up their time to bring this incredible community initiative to life."