On Saturday 31 October 2020, the prime minister announced a second national lockdown beginning on 5 November. The following day, we dropped everything and from then until the evening of Wednesday 5th, we completed 10 full car-loads of clothing deliveries to our sister-group Wakefield District of Sanctuary (WDoS). We had temporarily re-opened our clothing collection after the first lockdown, and it hadn’t been due to close for another 3 weeks!
Couldn’t have squeezed a dormouse in!
WDoS provides a range of services to asylum-seekers, refused asylum-seekers and refugees, including a food bank and a clothing bank. They are always in great need of good-quality clothing, and especially needed warm clothing for the approaching winter.
In total, our supporters donated 10 car-loads of items that WDoS needed, including clothing, coats, and luggage and rucksacks.
Each car went off to Wakefield stuffed to bursting, so we think that there must have been about 250 black bags’ worth. Overall, the quality was fantastic – some beautiful suitcases were donated, plus 2 bespoke Gieves & Hawkes suits and a Harris Tweed jacket!
Collecting outside Bishop Monkton CE Primary School
We are so grateful to our supporters, who were so good about washing and bagging the donations before quarantining them for a week. Many of them delivered to us, so we didn’t have to collect everything.
Bishop Monkton CE Primary School were amazing – they asked parents to bring bagged donations in on the morning of Tuesday 3rd November, as they were dropping children off at school. The bags went safely into our car boots and didn’t even have to go onto school grounds.
Big Ted was safely strapped in
Our supporters also raised £1,270 for us to be able to buy brand-new items such as:
- Underwear for men, women and children
- Coats
- Nightwear for girls and boys
- Notebooks and pens
- Adult colouring books (to relieve stress)
- Toiletries and self-care items
Over 100 gorgeous hand-made toys
What’s next?
- If you have any last bits clothing you didn’t manage to get to us, please hold onto it and we’ll accept it as soon as this lockdown ends.
- We plan to reopen the collection for a month in spring 2021, so please hold onto any high-quality bags, luggage and clothing! Rucksacks and backpacks are particularly needed.
Thank you so much for the difference you make.