Reduce, reuse, recycle, update your wardrobe for free and have a coffee and cake all at the same time.
That’s the message from the Hale Clothing Bank which opened at St Mark’s Church, Alma Lane, Upper Hale on Monday (9 September).
The Clothing Bank is a joint venture by Hale Community Centre and the church and will run every Monday, 9-11am, offering good-quality second-hand clothes and shoes free of charge. There is also a small café which serves drinks, cakes and pastries.
The initiative is being supported by generous grants from both the Voluntary Action South West Surrey (VASWS) Sparks Fund and Farnham Lions, while Alton Clothes Bank have given advice, clothes and are helping with the Hale Bank’s Facebook page. Other clothes are being donated by members of the public.
Revd Stella Wiseman, one of the curates in the parish of Badshot Lea and Hale, said: “Melissa Salisbury, manager of Hale Community Centre, came to us with the idea and it absolutely fitted in with our priorities of serving both the community and the planet. Apparently, around 350,000 tonnes of used but still wearable clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year which is a massive figure. And we are all feeling the financial pinch, so being able to find good-quality clothes completely free is a real help.
“We are running a small café too as research shows that many people are still feeling isolated so we are inviting anyone who comes in to sit down for a drink and maybe make a friend.
“We are absolutely indebted to Sparks, Farnham Lions and Alton Clothes Bank for their support and to those who have responded to our call for clothes and to be volunteers. We need more volunteers and will always need clothes so if you would like to help in any way, call me on 07842761919 or email revd.stella@badshotleaandhale.org.”