Chippenham Uniform Exchange remains the only dedicated, unified, year-round school uniform recycling scheme in Wiltshire. It operates as an independent 'one stop shop' to obtain preloved uniform for any child, any time, regardless of the school attended, and without shame, embarrassment or stigma. Anyone with school-aged children can benefit. That's 6,758 pupils attending 13 mainstream state schools within Chippenham alone, plus approximately another 2,000 pupils attending special schools, village schools, and a further 9,000 pupils attending schools in the surrounding towns of Calne, Corsham, Devizes, Melksham and Trowbridge. During the financial year 2024-2025, Chippenham Uniform Exchange's activities have benefitted the community in the following ways: -Expanding our on-site storage capacity to maximise the space available in our year-round uniform shop to fit more shelves and rails; -Opening the shop on alternate weekends and several times during the week, all year round, to increase the opportunities for families to visit; -Expanding our offering to include prom dresses and suits as well as extra-curricular sports and uniformed clubs; -Deploying more large donation bins at key venues to make donating uniform easier and more accessible; -Receiving in excess of 20,000 items of donated uniform, saving over 3,000kgs of textile waste from landfill; -Providing volunteering opportunities to 12 local residents; -Providing volunteering opportunities to local secondary school pupils working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award or for work experience; -Holding several 'pop-up shops' in the community including swap shops and free-to-take clothing events; -Repairing hundreds of items of uniform for re-use, saving even more kgs of textile waste from landfill; -Saving hundreds of families several thousands of pounds compared to the cost of buying new items; -Working with schools, PTAs, environmental groups and support organisations to reach as many families as possible. Chippenham Uniform Exchange makes it easy for families and schools to recycle outgrown or surplus uniform, provide an option for families who choose to shop sustainably, and reduce the cost of buying school uniform. The scheme supports families in the community who are facing increased challenges arising from the current cost of living crisis or any other financial difficulty by reducing the financial burden of buying full, correct and well-fitting school uniform for children, giving all families access to recycled school uniform at very low cost, or free to families in financial hardship. This in turn has a positive social and emotional effect upon families and children by reducing social isolation and improving mental well-being of children and their families. It is also environmentally friendly by encouraging reuse and recycling of school uniform and reducing landfill waste.

Our stakeholders include schools, PTAs, support organisations, parents/carers and children aged 4-16 living in Chippenham and the surrounding towns & villages or attending school there. Our volunteers are all parents/carers of school-aged children living in or attending school in Chippenham. We consult with our stakeholders by: -Inviting community members to volunteer with us; -Inviting secondary school pupils to volunteer with us; -Communicating regularly with head teachers, pastoral workers and PTAs to maximise our reach; -Working in partnership with other local support organisations; -Adapting our scheme to make it accessible to everyone; -Using Facebook so stakeholders can comment on how our scheme can be improved which influences the development, scope and delivery of the company’s activities; -Offering a dedicated “shop” for families to visit all year round to browse for what they need; -Interacting with parents/carers at our premises as well as at pop-up shops and community events which gives us regular opportunities to gain feedback on how to best meet the needs of families; -Collecting data to measure the impact of our provision- the number of families who have benefitted from the provision, environmental impact and the financial benefit to families; -Seeking feedback from stakeholders as to how the project has benefitted them.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration