Guildford Borough Council’s Community Wellbeing Team has helped local families get ready for the new school year, by making school essentials more accessible while encouraging the reuse of pre-loved items.

Held at Thrive at The Hive, the team ran two ‘Back 2 School’ events to give families access to affordable school uniforms, PE kits, stationery and other school supplies. This initiative aimed to help parents manage the cost of a new school year while making sure good quality items are reused rather than thrown away.

In total, 33 families attended, with children able to pick up everything from football boots to pencil cases and lunch boxes, helping them start the school year feeling prepared, confident and ready to learn.

This initiative was supported by:

•  Guildford High School, who collected pre-loved school uniform and supplies

•  The Maslow Foundation which kindly donated £50 in vouchers for extra stationery

• donations from Thrive at The Hive.

One parent attending the event said: “We have taken some stationery and water bottles today as these little things add up and can be costly. We love coming to Thrive at The Hive and picking up pre-loved bits and bobs.”

Another added:  “We are so grateful to have this on our doorstep. Uniform is so expensive when you have boys who grow out of it so quickly! We have picked up some trousers and a new lunch box which we are going to decorate with some stickers.”

Cllr Carla Morson, Lead Councillor for Community Services, says: “The start of the new school year should be a time for children to look forward to, but we know it can put extra pressure on family budgets. Through our ‘Back 2 School’ events, we wanted to make that a little bit easier by helping local families access the items they need, so children can start the new term with confidence.

“For me, what makes this initiative particularly special is the way our community has come together to support one another. Through the generosity of local people, Guildford High School and The Maslow Foundation, we were able to support even more families than we could have alone. Thank you to everyone who was involved, it really makes a difference.”