Youngsters host free school uniform event to support families

A group of young women also known as ‘The Wilfies Warriors’ from charity Bright Futures Women's Project created a project called ‘2 Skool 4 Kool’ thanks to funding from The KEY where they were awarded £500 for their social action project.

The project enabled the students to distribute free school uniform items and stationery to families in need across South Tyneside.

The event was held at Bright Futures Community HUB on John Williamson Street earlier this week aimed to alleviate the financial burden on families.

The initiative was met with overwhelming support from the local community, as over 80 parents and guardians flocked to the venue to take advantage of this generous opportunity.

The young women from Bright Futures, worked tirelessly to organise and distribute the school uniforms, ensuring that each child received the correct size and style where possible.

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The event not only provided practical assistance but also created a positive atmosphere for families.

Parents expressed their gratitude for the support they received, emphasising how this initiative helped alleviate their financial stress during an already challenging time. 

Bright Futures young women plan to continue hosting similar events in the future, recognising the ongoing need for support in ensuring that all students have access to essential educational resources. By doing so, they hope to inspire other organisations and individuals to join their cause and make a difference in the lives of students across the Borough.

Erin Pettimore, 14 who helped arrange the event said: “I thought the event went really well but I think this was down to how organised we were.

"We were really surprised by the amount of people who came along and the number of families we were able to help. I am really proud of the work we have done to help our local community”.

Toni Pearson, Project Worker at Bright Futures added: “After the success of their first social action project (which involved creating self-care chests for children and young people going into foster placements for the first time) the group began working on a second idea to support families with the cost of living.

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"The young women started planning for this event in May and have met up every week to ensure that the event went ahead.

"Here at Bright Futures, we are all incredibly proud of how hard working and thoughtful the girls are and also super impressed by the obstacles that they’ve overcame along the way.

"We can’t wait to hear what they would like to do for their third project”.