Charity which provides free school uniform for North Kirklees children appeals for monthly donations to help families in need
A charity which provides free school uniform across Kirklees is appealing for support as it faces increasing demand for its help.
Uniform Exchange helped 13,000 children in 2025 – a fifth of all school age children in the area – and more than ever before.
Now it is asking people to donate £3 a month to help towards its future funding.
The demand on Uniform Exchange is continually growing due to the continuing cost of living crisis. It is estimated the charity saved Kirklees parents more than £1m in school uniform bills last year.
Many of the children it helps are in Dewsbury, Batley, Cleckheaton, Birstall, Heckmondwike, Liversedge and Mirfield.
It gave out an estimated 110,000 items of school uniform in 2025, thanks to the dedication of its 40-plus volunteers and a few part-time staff.
In 2024 the charity helped an estimated 11,000 children – compared to 6,700 in the 2022/2023 school year – and Uniform Exchange was awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Founder and operations trustee, Kate France, said: “When we started Uniform Exchange back in 2011 we hoped the number of children in poverty and deprivation would fall in the following years but, over the last five years, it’s been the exact opposite.
“If there is a positive, it’s the remarkable community effort that keeps the charity going with thousands of people across Kirklees donating unwanted or unused school uniform to us every year.
“It’s a great example of the kinder side to society in action and helps to provide children with the best start to their school life that we possibly can by making sure they have all the uniform and school kit they need.”
Kate is urging people across Kirklees to donate just £3 a month to help the charity, but larger sums would be more than welcome.
That can be done by visiting https://www.uniform-exchange.org/donate_money/
Uniform Exchange has set up a project called Sustainable Uniform Exchange which encourages all 182 schools in Kirklees to have their own school uniform giveaways at least once a year.
This will make the uniform even more accessible for parents and ease the financial strain on the charity, which costs around £120,000 a year to run.
Kate has looked into the cost of school uniform in Kirklees. Including PE kit, this works out at around £157.
But when other essentials such as shoes, trainers, football boots, coats, bags and stationery are added, she says the final total is £387 a year.
Councils, including Kirklees, stopped giving school uniform grants in 2010, so the only way parents can get free school uniform in Kirklees is through Uniform Exchange, which became a registered charity in March 2018.
A parent from Mirfield said: “The saving is felt in a huge way for our family financially. The whole process was a lot easier than I anticipated and shame-free.”
Uniform Exchange has dozens of collection points throughout Kirklees such as schools, libraries and supermarkets where parents can donate school uniform their children no longer need. This is collected by the charity, washed and mended where necessary and then stored at its warehouse.
To find the nearest Uniform Exchange donation point to where you live, visit https://www.uniform-exchange.org/donation-points/
Parents can apply for free school uniform on the Uniform Exchange website at https://www.uniform-exchange.org/free-school-uniform/