Big Lottery Funding for creation of East Kent Clothing Bank

Melody (left) and helpers

A group of community charity organisations have been given a lifeline by The Big Lottery Fund to combine their forces to create an East Kent Clothing Bank.

Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Union Community Outreach Project in Margate, the Community Clothes Bank in Whitstable, the Cliftonville Community Centre and Folkestone’s Community Clothes Bank have helped countless families with clothing and essentials. Even with shops reopened, demand for good quality, second-hand clothing still remains high across all these projects. Together, the support offered helps meet the communities’ basic needs, while building hope and dignity amongst those using the services. It also stops a large amount of clothes from being delegated for landfill

With the £10,000 funding from The Big Lottery Fund, the projects can work together to cover the east of the county as a network, ensuring that even more people are supported. The funding will help pay towards overheads for the collaboration, including new storage.

Union Community Outreach Project Manager Melody Wimhurst said: “Our clothing and baby bank has helped hundreds in Thanet. This is a wonderful opportunity to grow our service and help vulnerable people across the whole of East Kent.”

The outreach project, previously at Union Church in Margate, is now based in Harbour Street, Ramsgate, after Ramsgate Football Club provided the premises for the project.

For further information on how to support the project please contact MelodY on 07861 712269

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