Struggling to buy new school uniform - find out what help there is for Hartlepool families

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Children’s Hub at the Civic Centre keeps a large stock of school uniforms donated by families who no longer require them and they are available for free.

The items – all of which have been laundered – range from skirts, dresses and trousers to polo shirts, blazers and sports kit.

As well as the stock at the Civic Centre, there’s also a selection of clothing at Kilmarnock Road Children and Young People Family Resource Centre and the Belle Vue Community Sports and Youth Centre, in Kendal Road.

The support available has received an additional boost thanks to Elizabeth Trowsdale Norman and her family.

Elizabeth, who passed away in 2017, aged 104, was born and lived in Hartlepool for half of her life before moving to North Yorkshire.

She was passionate about education, particularly access to education for girls, after she passed her 11+ exam, but was unable to attend grammar school because her family could not afford it.

Elizabeth’s family have created a fund to help provide school uniform and essential school supplies to those suffering financial hardship.

Preference will be given to applicants from Hartlepool’s Victoria Ward, which is where Elizabeth was born and lived.

There is also a small, limited fund for new school clothing and items for children living in the Owton Manor and Rift House areas.

Coun Leisa Smith, chair of the council’s children’s services committee, said: “The cost of a school uniform can be a significant additional financial pressure for families.

“Thanks to people donating items of school clothing which they no longer need, and also thanks to the generosity of Elizabeth Trowsdale Norman and her family, we can give those families a helping hand.”

For more information or to donate items of school uniform which are no longer required, call in to Civic Centre or any of the other centres with stocks or call 01429 284284 and press Option 1.