We held a sustainable fashion swap in aid of local hospice

We hosted our first sustainable fashion exchange for staff to support Barnsley Hospice.

The clothing swap was organised by the Learning for Living and Work (LFLW) department, which supports students with learning disabilities, to provide them the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a shop environment.

“It’s small experiences like these that prepare our students for life after college – it was great so see them gaining experience working with others!”

The initiative was designed to give students the opportunity to grow their communication and numeracy skills that will prepare them for independent living or supported employment while giving College staff an accessible, fun and eco-friendly way of refreshing their wardrobe.

The swap supported Barnsley Hospice with a ‘donate what you can’ policy for staff, raising £55 for the hospice; the remainder of the clothes will also be donated to Barnsley Hospice, to sell in their charity shops.

With over 336K tonnes of clothing sent to landfills each year, according to charity WRAP, the swap encouraged staff to be more sustainable by providing them with a method to donate clothes that otherwise may end up in landfill.

Nicola Thomson-Dewey, Head of Department for Learning for Living and Work, said: “This project gave our LFLW students the opportunity to have a practical approach to clothes through them sorting through the donations, organising them into categories and displaying them on the hangers.

“It’s small experiences like these that prepare our students for life after college – it was great to see the students setting up the shop and we had one student, Katie, who helped refill the rails when staff was taking items and that allows them to gain experience with working with other.”

Sasha Beswick, Sustainability Officer at the College, added: “The clothes swap encouraged staff to have a clear-out and drop off unwanted, clean, good-quality adult and children’s clothing that otherwise may end up in landfills.

“At the College, we are committed to embedding education for sustainable development throughout the curriculum – projects like this benefit our staff, students, and encourage a circular economy.”

For more information about our Learning for Living and Work courses visit the department page or email info@barnsley.ac.uk. Alternatively, if you want more information on the positive steps the College are taking towards its sustainability goals, visit the Strategic Plan.