It’s estimated that 30% of clothing in our wardrobes hasn’t been worn in over a year – do you have items you can donate to others?
The Leeds Winter Coat Appeal, run by Zero Waste Leeds, is asking people across Leeds to
donate great quality second-hand winter coats and other items of winter clothing.
Last year’s campaign distributed over 6500 items of free winter clothing across the city, helping
to reduce waste and saving people over £132,000 that could be spent on other essentials
during the coldest time of the year.
There are over 20 winter clothing public donation points, including leisure and community
centres, and more than 20 businesses are supporting this year’s campaign to encourage their
staff to donate clothing. Donation points are open now and the final date for donations is
Friday 26 January 2024. More donation points are being made available over the coming weeks
and full details of when and where people can donate items are available on the Zero Waste
Leeds website – www.zerowasteleeds.org.uk.
As well as winter coats for adults, children and babies, Zero Waste Leeds is also appealing for
people to donate other great quality items of winter clothing that they no longer want or need,
including hats, gloves and scarves, waterproof clothing, fleeces. This year Zero Waste Leeds is
also asking for donations of baby cot sleeping bags, snow suits for young children and babies,
and footmuffs to keep babies and children warm in their prams and buggies and is collaborating
with Leeds Baby Bank to ensure these items are distributed to families who need them.
Gill Coupland from Zero Waste Leeds said: “Last year’s Leeds Winter Coat Appeal was a huge
success thanks to the many businesses, individuals and community groups that got involved
donating and distributing coats. It’s such a great way to come together as a community and
share the things we have. It’s good for the environment because it cuts down on the demand
for new and it’s great for families who don’t have to worry about the cost of coats.
“People in Leeds are so generous, as we’ve also seen through the School Uniform Exchange,
and we are so thankful that people can and want to help. Our aim is to collect and distribute
thousands of coats and items of clothing this year. We’d love to beat last winter’s campaign
total of 6500 items this year, so we’re calling out for even more people to share the coats they
no longer want or need rather than throwing them away.”
Details of where people will be able to get the donated items, all free of charge, will be
announced in early November, ahead of the coldest time of the year, and these collection
points will be available until the end of February 2024.
Gill Coupland concluded: “The cost of living crisis has hit families hard and priorities have had to
change. Last winter, for many families in Leeds, paying bills or buying food became more
important than buying a new winter coat. Sharing thousands of donated, good quality winter
coats across the city meant we could help ease some of the financial pressure.
“Freeing up unworn coats from the back of cupboards and wardrobes and passing them on is
also so much more sustainable than buying new and people were more than happy to help, so
we’re hoping for an even more generous response from the people of Leeds this winter.”
This summer, Zero Waste Leeds distributed more than 16,700 items of second-hand, donated
school uniform to nearly 3000 families and the aim of this new appeal is to do the same with
winter clothing.
The current list of donation points for winter clothing items are listed below. More donation
points are being added over the coming weeks so please visit www.zerowasteleeds.org.uk for
updated details.
The Queens Hotel – City Square, Leeds, LS1 1PJ
Merrion House – Merrion Way, LS2 8BB
Scott Hall Leisure Centre – Scott Hall Road, LS7 3DT
Meanwood Community Centre – Stainbeck Avenue, Leeds, LS7 2QU
Reginald Centre – 263 Chapeltown Road, LS7 3EX
Nowell Mount Community Centre – Nowell Mount, Harehills, LS9 6JJ
Compton Centre – 322 Harehills Lane, Harehills, LS9 7BG
Burmantofts Community Hub & Library – Rigton Lawn, LS9 7QA
Hunslet Community Hub & Library – Waterloo Street, LS10 2NS
BITMO – BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle, LS10 3QH
Middleton Community Health Centre – Middleton Park Avenue, LS10 4HT
Cottingley Children’s Centre – Cottingley Drive, LS11 0JP
Dewsbury Road Community Hub – 190 Dewsbury Road, LS11 6PF
Beeston Community Hub & Library – Town Street, LS11 8PN
Armley Community Hub – 2 Stocks Hill, Armley, LS12 1UQ
Armley Moor Health Centre – 95 Town Street, LS12 3HD
Hawthorn Surgery – Wortley Beck Health Centre, Ring Road, LS12 5SG
Bramley Community Hub – Hough Lane, Bramley, LS13 3ND
Kentmere Community Centre – Kentmere Ave, LS14 1BWSeacroft Community Hub – 1 Seacroft Avenue, LS14 6JD
Halton Medical Practice – 2 Primrose Lane, LS15 7HR
Halton Library – 273 Selby Road, LS15 7JR
Holt Park Leisure Centre – Holtdale Approach, LS16 7RX
Holt Park Health Centre – Ground Floor, Holt Road,LS16 7QD
Welcome In Community Centre – 55 Bedford Drive, LS16 6DJ
The Calf Shed – 300 Otley Road, LS16 6RG
Yeadon Community Hub – Town Hall Square, Yeadon, LS19 7PP
Aireborough Leisure Centre – The Green Guiseley, LS20 9BT
Wetherby Leisure Centre – Lodge Lane, Wetherby, LS22 5FN
Wetherby Health Centre – Hallfield Lane, LS22 6JT
Garforth Library & One Stop Centre – Lidgett Lane, Garforth, LS25 1EH
Garforth Leisure Centre – Ninelands Lane, Garforth, LS25 1NX
Kippax Community Hub – Westfield Lane, Kippax, LS25 7LY
Morrison’s Rothwell – 1 Jail Yard Parade, Rothwell, LS26 0QJ
Morley Community Hub – Commercial Street, Morley, LS27 8FZ
Morley Leisure Centre – Queensway, LS27 9JP
Pudsey Leisure Centre – Market Place, LS28 7BE
Reduce, Reuse Kids Clothes- Pudsey Community Project, Fartown, Pudsey, LS28 8LP