Our Emergency Parcel Referral Service

What We Do:

Our free referral- based Emergency Parcels service identifies and quickly responds to urgent clothing requests for vulnerable children. Thanks to generous donations at our clothing swaps, we have a consistent stock of quality children’s clothes, toys and equipment that we can package into a gift for families in need, easing the strain of clothing poverty for struggling parents in our community. We currently cover most of the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and Northumberland.

 

Since the service started in 2019 we’re proud to say that we’ve provided nearly 800 children with around 10,000 items of good quality, cleaned and ironed clothing, alongside other donated items from hand-knitted blankets to beds and buggies. In addition to responding to the cost of living crisis, we’re pleased to be able to keep these quality items in circulation to be used many more times, and out of landfill.

 

In 2022 we were honoured to win Project of the Year for our relatively new service from the Berwickshire Association for Voluntary Service Charity Awards.

 

How It Works

We take referrals from professionals and social prescribing bodies, ensuring our beneficiaries are anonymous, and provide a clothing parcel containing a week’s worth of clean, quality clothes and new pants and socks for children up to the age of 12. We also include information directing the families to their nearest clothes swaps so that they can continue to take what they need for their growing children for free.

 

If you are a professional and you think we might be able to help please contact referral@berwickshireswap.co.uk 

We try to keep it simple, with no forms to fill in. Please just email with your organisation and area along with the gender, clothing size and needs of the children you’re working with.