Highfield School introduces clothing banks to support textile recycling and Liphook Food Bank

Highfield School in Liphook, Hampshire, has introduced textile clothing banks to help families recycle clothes and school uniform while raising funds for Liphook Food Bank. Through its partnership with Astra Recycling, 5p for every kilogram of clothing collected will be donated to the charity.

The initiative builds on efforts by members of the Highfield parent community to prevent old school uniform from going to waste.

One of the parents behind the initiative said: “Last year, we collected uniform for Petworth Ukraine Relief, including over a hundred good-quality woollen jumpers and warm winter coats. We also collected school trousers and airtex shirts. This year, we are collecting items that are embroidered with the school logo which makes it harder to find organisations that will accept it for reuse, so we needed another solution.

“Astra Recycling is helping us collect these items and will donate 5p for every kilogram of clothing collected to Liphook Food Bank. It means clothing that is harder to pass on can still help support local families.”

The co-educational independent day and boarding school, which welcomes children aged 2–13, introduced the scheme to help reduce the environmental impact of clothing waste while raising funds for local households in need. Finding a recycling company that would accept school uniform bearing logos was an important part of developing the initiative. Some providers approached did not accept branded items, limiting the options for families with uniform their children had outgrown. Astra Recycling’s acceptance of these garments means they can be donated alongside other unwanted clothing.

The banks give families a convenient way to recycle textiles, supporting the school’s aim of reducing its carbon footprint. Every collection will also generate funds for Liphook Food Bank, connecting the environmental purpose of the scheme with a direct benefit to the local community.

Highfield’s relationship with the food bank is already familiar to pupils through the school’s annual Harvest Festival collection. Children have helped gather food donations from across the school community and delivered them to the charity, which provides weekly food parcels to local households in need.

The clothing banks build on that support, creating an ongoing way for families to contribute beyond the annual Harvest Festival.

Mrs Suzannah Cryer, Head of Highfield School, said: “Our school community has an important part to play in supporting the wider community around us. An outgrown uniform might seem like a small thing, but when a whole school community gets involved, those contributions add up. Collecting 243kg in just one week shows how much potential this initiative has.

“Liphook Food Bank is a cause our children already know through Harvest Festival, and we are pleased to build on that relationship. We want our pupils to understand that being part of a community means looking beyond the school gates and recognising how we can help those around us.”