Keeping Warm in Glasgow - donation appeal launch for winter coats and hoodies

The council has joined forces with Glasgow Times and The Herald to launch a citywide campaign to appeal for donations of up cycled winter coats, jackets and hoodies for Glasgow's children and young people in the fight against coronavirus over the cold months ahead.

Current advice and guidance to help suppress and reduce the spread of the virus in schools nationally includes increased ventilation in schools and classrooms and enhanced outdoor learning opportunities in order to help keep schools and nurseries open for learning and teaching.

Glasgow's schools and nurseries have for many years explored the benefits of outdoor learning on our pupils' mental health and wellbeing but this can raise a few challenges during the cold, winter spell in our city.

The last eight months have also taken a toll on the financial capacity of many of the city's families and the appeal is a way to help to try and ease this burden and offer support across Glasgow as we are all in this together.

Maureen McKenna, Executive Director of Education is very appreciative of the partnership with the Glasgow Times and The Herald to help promote the appeal to as many homes in the city and encourage people to use this as the ideal opportunity to upcycle clothes to help others.

Maureen said today: "We know this is an anxious and worrying time for everyone and we wanted to do something to ease some of the burden on our families over the winter months ahead as we adhere to the current government advice and guidance to help suppress and reduce the spread of the virus.

"This includes more outdoor learning - something that Glasgow has been advocating for many years to boost health and wellbeing.  

"But we recognise that our children and young people need to be warm and cosy so that they can concentrate on their learning - especially during our cold winter days.

"We know that many of our families are experiencing hardships as a direct result of the ongoing pandemic. Our numbers for school clothing and footwear grants have risen - up from 32,000 in March this year to more than 36,000 this month.

"When we were planning for the schools returning we focused on the 3Rs - recovery, resilience and re-connection - and now through Keeping Warm in Glasgow we want to also look at another set of 3Rs - reuse, reduce and recycle!

"Our campaign is about donating good quality winter jackets and coats and warm hoodies - new/nearly new or clothes that children and young people have grown out of - but in perfectly good order for someone else to benefit from.

"This is the perfect opportunity to have a good clear out and help others into the bargain - and it could not be easier.

"We've joined forces with the Glasgow Times and The Herald and our colleagues at Glasgow Life so that there's a community centre drop off in most local areas and also a city centre location at The Lighthouse in Mitchell Lane.

"Please join us to help Keep Warm in Glasgow this winter."

A number of community centres will accept donations of new/nearly new/good quality winter coats or jackets and self-coloured warm hoodies or sweatshirts with minimum branding where possible.

Drop off points

Items can be handed into the following Glasgow Life community centres as well as The Lighthouse in Mitchell Lane in the city centre 9am - 3.30pm:

Items can also be handed in to the following centres, between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday unless otherwise stated:

Barlanark Community Centre

Castlemilk Community Centre

Bellcraig Community Centre

Darnley Community Centre

Govanhill Community Centre

Maryhill Community Centre

Possilpoint Community Centre*

Penilee Community Centre

Ruchazie Community Centre**

*open Monday, Wednesday and Friday

**donations from 2.30pm - 4pm

All the donations will then be sorted out centrally by a group of volunteers and a range of sizes and as close a match as possible to schools colours will then be delivered to our schools across the city to be distributed to their school community.

Mary McNulty, Headteacher at St Roch's Primary School knows how important it is to support families in these challenging times and is delighted to endorse the donation appeal.

Mary said: "We are all in this pandemic together.

"Our families are proud but they also support one another and we have been operating an 'upcycling uniform shop' for a number of years that works extremely well.

"Children grow at such a rate that the clothes don't always have a chance to get done - so why would you not pass them on to each other?

"Our children are out in all weathers because we know the benefits this can bring to learning and this year we will take this further in light of the advice and guidance to help keep schools open.

"Our children and young people can't lose any more time away from the classroom and our families know this so let's all support one another and we will hopefully be looking forward to a time when we can look back and reflect on the community spirit that got us through the worst of the pandemic."