FreeSchoolClothes.com started with a single box outside a family home in Cardiff. Today, we are a volunteer-run community initiative helping schools and families across the UK to redistribute outgrown school gear and other essentials — for free.
It all started with a simple, late-night idea in 2022. During the peak of the cost-of-living crisis, our founder, Jon Evans — together with his wife Shân and their boys Tom and Siôn — wanted to do something practical for his local school community at Ysgol Treganna in Cardiff.
The first attempt didn't go well. Jon walked to the school with a big bag on a Friday afternoon to collect donations. Nobody turned up. Tail between legs, he walked home empty-handed.
A simple suggestion from Shân changed everything: "Why don't we just put a box outside the house?" Things changed.
In the years since — with a wider group of parent volunteers and more boxes outside more family homes — the initiative has redistributed thousands of items within the school community. Seeing the demand growing, Jon researched options, got quotes from developers, and over Christmas decided to build it himself.
Many late nights, weekends and cups of tea later, FreeSchoolClothes.com was ready — a digital platform designed to make redistribution easy, secure, and accessible for every family in the UK. Originally developed at Ysgol Treganna, it is now ready to extend the benefits across Wales — and every UK school.
"Do something practical to support the local community. That was the whole idea. It still is."
Sources: UK Government school census · pilot data from Ysgol Treganna · carbonfact.com for car-equivalent calculation
What started as a family project is now scaling across the UK. Register, list, browse, tell a friend. Every item shared is a small win for a family — and a small win for the planet too.
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