Castle Quay is bringing back its popular school uniform pop-up shop later this month.
The well-loved initiative is set to return on Saturday, July 27 to encourage parents to recycle usable school uniforms rather than discard them.
Organisers are calling on families throughout Oxfordshire to support this sustainable community project.
Unwanted, but still wearable, school uniform can be dropped into Castle Quay’s branded donation containers located at the Customer Service Desk near Lock29.
The centre will be accepting donations Monday to Saturday between 10am and 5pm, as well as Sunday from 10am until 4.30pm, up until Friday, July 26.
The more items that are donated, the greater the variety of items available in the pop-up shop for families to benefit from.
The pop-up shop operates on a principle of “take what you need, give what you can”, as it seeks to provide families with much-needed resources.
On Saturday, July 27, the pop-up shop will be open to the public from 11am to 4pm.
It will be located in the unit opposite the Nothing But Footprints store.
No payment is needed to browse or select items from the shop.
However, any donations received on the day, or online, will go towards the centre’s charity partners – The Sunshine Centre and Banbury Uniform Exchange.
Any items donated to the pop-up shop that are not claimed for reuse will be forwarded to The Banbury Uniform Exchange.
Accepted donations include branded and non-branded items that are clean and in good condition such as jumpers, polo t-shirts, blouses, skirts, trousers, shorts, PE kits, shoes, trainers, coats, and much more.
Centre director at Castle Quay Shopping Centre, Oliver Wren, praised the initiative saying: “We were overwhelmed with positive feedback for last year’s school uniform pop-up shop, so bringing it back was a no-brainer.
“Purchasing school uniforms can be expensive and is another pressure on families so this shop was understandably welcomed within the community.
“However, to ensure its success, I really encourage people to drop off items earlier rather than later, to give my team time to merchandise the store and sort all the items by school name, size and colours – ensuring a positive experience for all visitors.”