In the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank (ESUB) offices there are benches covered in boxes of hundreds of white shirts, black leggings and trousers, the staples of any school uniform in the city, all ready to be handed out to children who need them.
This organisation fills the gap where parents or carers are unable, for whatever reason, to provide school uniforms for children of school age. What is meant by uniform is everything from underwear to a school bag and a warm coat. The charity provides everything – either new and preloved – so that children can attend school without the stigma of wearing the “wrong” clothes.
The Rt Hon Lord Provost Robert Aldridge visited the modern building at Waterfront Avenue where ESUB work on Tuesday to see for himself how to fill a bag with the items ordered by, or on behalf of, a child at school in Edinburgh.
The wishlists come in through schools and the charity works closely with them to ensure that all children have appropriate clothing. The Lord Provost’s charity the OneCity Trust supported EUSB with a grant of £2,000 to help the body move to the new larger premises with more space to store, sort and pack bags of school uniform.
The Lord Provost said: “I have had a really fascinating morning. And it’s a morning which has brought home to me the levels of poverty that there are in the city hidden poverty, largely the impact of the cost of living crisis on families right across the city.
“One thing that really brought it home to me today was that I heard about young people who don’t go to school on the day that there’s PE or swimming simply because their family only has one towel available. That is just appalling in this day and age. The EUSB can give them access to all swimming or PE gear so that those children can take part in all the activities alongside their friends.”
Chair of the Trustees, Margaret Civval, said: “We are very fortunate in that the people of Edinburgh rally round and they drop off new, lovely things, they sponsor some children, they give us money and businesses give us money. We are struggling a bit, I’ll be honest, because of the increase in the cost of uniform. And we have a demand for coats, but a decent coat that will last is an awful lot more this year than it was last year.
“We had one mum who asked for a second coat which her son could wear at night – which would need a cosy hood as he couldn’t sleep with cold ears. Since we found him the coat we know that his attendance at school has improved.”
We asked what people can do to help and it is clear that there is a need for good quality second hand school clothes as well as financial donations. But Ms Civval also said that people could really encourage their own school to set up their own school uniform banks. She said: “It would be really helpful for us if schools could distribute some of the nearly new things and leave us to take the children who are in the greatest need and who are sometimes sizes which are not available in pre-loved clothing.
“Today we have a family of three who are arriving in Edinburgh to live with a grandparent as their mother has gone to prison. So we’re helping the grandparent who is taking care of them now to get things moving and get them back into a new school and a new routine.”
Trustee of the ESUB, Julia Grindley said: “For over eight years, ESUB has boosted the wellbeing and inclusion of the city’s most disadvantaged children and young people by ensuring that they can participate fully in all school activities with confidence, regardless of their family’s circumstances. We are delighted to show the Lord Provost around today.
“We work closely with over 100 schools and many other professional partners to provide new school uniforms, footwear, and other essentials to thousands of children every year. Many families are in dire straits, and children are going without. The cost-of-living crisis is making it increasingly difficult to keep up with demand for our services, and we need the support of the whole community, to avoid us turning families away.
“Today we are launching our Winter Warmers appeal. We hope that people and businesses all over Edinburgh will do what they can to make sure that every child can stay cosy and go to school with their head held high this winter.”
Find out how you can help ESUB here.
EUSB began in 2015 as Edinburgh Back to School Bank and was set up by a group of local women. It has now become a registered charity governed by a board of volunteer trustees. The charity employs three part-time staff and many volunteers.
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