Children’s charity Wood Street Mission will hand out up to £1 million-worth of equipment and clothing to help families cope with the cost of school uniforms.
In a fund launched today, Thursday 2 July, the charity’s partnership arm SmartStart Manchester & Salford committed to a four-year scheme to kit out all local children living in poverty.
There are now 55,000 children living in poverty in Manchester and Salford. School uniforms are one of parents’ biggest yearly spends with average sports and classroom kit costing up to £400 per child.
Over 1 in 4 children in Salford is living in poverty and Salford City Council has not provided school uniform grants for some years.
Due to government budget cuts Manchester is also slashing its funding to year 7 and year 10 pupils.
According to the latest figures from the Child Poverty Action Group, child poverty costs Salford some £162 million every year.
Wood Street Mission says as it has also seen a significant increase in the numbers of families seeking help with school costs throughout the year.
The majority of funding will be handed out to families in the run up to the new school year in September 2015.
To kickstart the fund £100,000 has been donated by the Zochonis Charitable Trust, which is funded by PZ Cussons shares, with another £100,000 coming from a legacy gift.
The charity aims to raise the rest of the money needed from the city’s business community.
Steve Hayes-Allen, Regional Head Northern UK BNY Mellon which is helping fund SmartStart Manchester & Salford said: “We want to make communities better places in which to live, work and learn. As an employer we draw skills and talents of people from different backgrounds. This scheme will help children be more engaged and reach their full potential.”
The Chief Executive of Wood Street Mission, Roseanne Sweeney, said: “Doing well at school is crucial if they are to grow up and break the cycle of poverty.
“But too often their parents struggle to afford school costs like uniform and sports kit which negatively impacts on children’s experience of school.
“We want to grow a fund in partnership with the city’s professional firms and businesses which will help children fit in and achieve in school so they grow up to fulfil their potential and contribute their skills and talents to our growing economy.
“That’s in everyone’s interest given the high economic and individual cost of child poverty.”
Bill Jones, chairman of leading Manchester law firm JMW solicitors and chair of the Spinningfield’s Business Group which supports Wood Street Mission said: “The regional economy is projected to grow significantly over the next decade and it is important that businesses get behind initiatives like SmartStart.
“The Spinningfield’s Business Group will be supporting SmartStart through various fund raising channels and I would urge businesses to get behind this timely new and deserving campaign and in so doing invest in the future of our great cities.”
