Banbury's Castle Quay raises over £2,000 for charity with uniform pop-ups and sponsored walk

Staff from the shopping centre handed over a cheque for £400 to the Banbury Uniform Exchange and another of £1,750 to The Sunshine Centre.

Castle Quay played host to several take what you need, give what you can, temporary school uniform pop-up shops over the year.

The shops were designed to reduce costs for parents and clothes waste, with parents encouraged to redistribute uniforms instead of throwing them away.

Money raised from the shops was shared between local charities Banbury Uniform Exchange and The Sunshine Centre.

The Banbury Uniform Exchange is a project that gives parents access to free uniforms and The Sunshine Centre offers practical help, advice and emotional support to families.

The centre’s management team took on the sponsored walk in August and travelled from the shopping centre to Oxford.

After completing the marathon walk, the team decided all donations should be passed to their charity partner, The Sunshine Centre.

Oliver Wren, centre director at Castle Quay, said: “We’re immensely proud to support The Sunshine Centre and Banbury Uniform Exchange.

“Our pop-up shops have been a resounding success, not only in raising funds but also in helping local families access school uniforms at a low cost and reducing the amount of clothing that ends up in landfill.

“The team walk was challenging, but we were determined to reach our goal of 25 miles! A big thank you to everyone that has donated to either cause, we are hugely grateful.”