Mid and East Antrim school uniform scheme collection points and dates released

Collection points will be made available next month for families wishing to avail of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s school uniform scheme.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Delivered in partnership with Mid and East Antrim Community Advice Services (MEACAS) and supported by Volunteer Now, the scheme has provided a lifeline to many families, particularly during lockdown when charity shops were closed.

This year, as with previous years, residents have been extremely supportive with donations over recent weeks.

Collection points will now be open to those who are in need of items of school clothing from Monday, August 2 to Friday, August 6 .

Jackie Patton, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's head of community planning and development, and the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Matthew Armstrong, launch the 2021 school uniform scheme.Jackie Patton, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's head of community planning and development, and the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Matthew Armstrong, launch the 2021 school uniform scheme.
Jackie Patton, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's head of community planning and development, and the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Matthew Armstrong, launch the 2021 school uniform scheme.

The Deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Matthew Armstrong, said: “This is such a great initiative that has so many positive outcomes. Council is working hard to tackle poverty, particularly in the wake of multiple job losses over the last year, due to the pandemic.

“Not only does it make good financial sense, it also strengthens communities and makes good ecological sense.

“School closures have been commonplace in fighting the battle against the pandemic, so whilst many uniforms may be outgrown, they will have had little wear so should be perfectly good for to be used by another child.

“On average, each household bins more than 25kg of textiles a year. So rather than adding to the landfill mountains our residents have been able to play their part in helping us to sustain our beautiful environment.”

School uniforms can be collected as follows:

Larne area – Larne Market Yard, Station Road, Larne, BT40 3AA;

Carrickfergus area – Oakfield Community Centre, Oakfield Drive, Carrickfergus BT38 7SP;

Ballymena area – Harryville Community Centre, 73 Brooke Park, Ballymena, BT42 3AU.

Collection can be undertaken on the following dates / times only:

Monday, August 2 (10am – 12pm, 2-4pm and 6-8pm);

Wednesday, August 4 (10am – 12pm, 2-4pm and 6-8pm);

Friday, August 6 (10am – 12pm, 2-4pm and 6-8pm).

Uniforms, which are subject to availability, have been safely sorted in line with all government restrictions, and are free of charge. There is no qualifying criteria or referral process. Beneficiaries will be asked to complete a very short questionnaire, which will be anonymous, and will allow the organisers to measure impact.

--

Click here to read: Minister urged to ‘prioritise’ east Antrim school estate investment

--

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.

Related topics: