CLOTHING DONATION TO COUNTRIES AROUND THE GLOBE
We recently made a donation of over 14,000 items of clothing to charities doing amazing work across the globe! Along with our sister company GFORCE Sportswear which provides sports kit, we have amassed over 700 boxes of stock that could longer be utilized.
The collection of garments, which included tunics, trousers, scrubwear and work shoes as well as training sports kits, was made up of discontinued lines, sample stock and non branded styles that were all in good condition but would not be sold in the future.
We understand the importance of recycling and sustainability, so rather than the stock go to waste, we decided to donate all stock to four amazing charities who could send the clothing oversees, providing clothing to those in desperate need, including in vital medical settings.
The majority, over 10,000 items, were taken by the Phoenix Resource Centre; a UK charity that works at home but also in 61 countries across the world to protect and preserve the environment by promoting waste reduction, re-use reclamation, recycling, the use of recycled products and the use of surplus. Phoenix are sending the donated items to help the medical sector in Djibouti in Africa and other key projects they are involved with in Kenya and Somaliland.
The United African Association, which is based in Northampton and aims to promote African culture and heritage and support initiatives that help African communities, also received some tunics which are being sent to various clinics and hospitals across Africa where medical teams are in desperate need for them.
The Jacob’s Well Appeal, based in Beverley, works in 30 countries providing much needed supplies including medical aid, agricultural equipment and emergency disaster relief. They took some vital scrubwear which would also be sent to hospitals they work with for clinical staff to use.
Finally, three boxes of sports training garments including goalkeeper kits, track tops, trousers and gilets and jackets were given to Kits4Causes which is one of the largest football kit charities providing kit to social development projects in over 50 countries. These kits often go on to become prized possessions for children interested in football in some of the poorest communities in the world.
Andrew Richardson, managing director at Phoenix Resource Centre, said: ‘’We are delighted to be working in partnership with Grahame Gardner. It is only with the help of socially and environmentally thinking companies like this are we able to help millions of people in the UK and around the world each year.
“The garments will be used by some of our projects in East Africa, including Djibouti, where they will be utilized within the Hospitals and Physiotherapy projects, providing essential workwear for those who have very little.”
Sarah Lowe, operations director Grahame Gardner, said: “We are a company with a long and proud history providing workwear, and sportswear, to various sectors up and down the country. We knew that we had collected quite a lot of stock that we weren’t able to sell or use any longer but that was still perfectly useable and in great condition.
“We knew we had to put these items to good use, so our team set about contacting charities who we thought would be able to benefit from it and we found four fantastic causes who are doing some truly incredible work across the world. To know that this clothing is going to where it is needed, particularly in healthcare settings, and that it will make a huge difference is just fantastic.”
Grahame Gardner has grown to become one of the UK’s leading uniform specialists, catering for a diverse range of sectors including healthcare and veterinary, hospitality, beauty salons and spa wear.