Increase in demand for uniform exchange

MANY local parents are under increasing pressure with steep price rises for basic essentials like food, heating and electricity. And families are having to spend hundreds of pounds they don’t have to kit out their children for school.

Even with the help of grants, some working families are still struggling.

For some of the poorest in society, this can mean a choice between heating their homes or buying their child’s school blazer.

That is where Omagh Uniform Exchange comes in. It enables parents to get quality second-hand uniforms, which in some cases are barely-worn, for free.

Omagh’s exchange carries uniforms for 64 local schools from Ballygawley to Castlederg, both primary and post-primary. They have all sorts of items from school bags, trousers, shoes and basic uniform essentials.

One of the volunteers at the exchange Cathy McNamee told the Tyrone Herald about some of the services the exchange provides.

Cathy said, “We carry 64 uniforms from different schools throughout the local area. We can provide anything a child might need when they’re at school. This includes shoes, blazers, sports uniforms, trousers, bags, shirts and skirts.”

She said the exchange had seen a massive rise in demand this year due to price increases and asked for more help and donations.

If you have unused school uniforms at home and can donate them you can do so by getting in contact with the group’s Facebook page.

The group also has a JustGiving page that people can donate money to, this is to pay for essential items like clothes rails and hangers.