As children grow up, parents are often left with clothes that have barely been worn and have little use anymore. But one mother is trying to change that.
Since starting her children’s clothing swap shop three years ago, Victoria Greenfield-Coleman, from Eynsham, Oxfordshire, has supported 240 families.
She said the programme, which had received an “incredible” response, was about “hopefully helping new parents”.
The Swap Shop takes place every other month at St Leonard’s Church in Eynsham, with the latest edition taking place on a Saturday from 9:30 to 12:30 GMT.
At the events, families exchange their children’s outgrown clothes and take home the clothes their children need next.
Victoria said the idea for the scheme began in lockdown, when she started collecting clothes that were no longer big enough for her son.
“Like many new moms, it was just me and my baby within four walls, and those walls began to be decorated with bags of my baby’s outgrown clothes,” she said.
“I just thought ‘This is ridiculous, and as soon as COVID is over, I’m going to start something where I can start sharing my baby clothes.’
Since then, more than 18,000 items of clothing have been donated to the swap shop, with approximately 11,000 items being taken home by parents for their children to use.
“People have so much stuff that eventually, they just want to get it out of their houses,” Victoria said.
“They’re bringing them to the swap shop, and the quality of the clothes is beautiful.”
“No one needs to be disadvantaged if we come together and share resources.”
One mother who used the Swap Shop said it was a “huge relief” to find the service as she had found having a baby was “much more expensive than expected”.
Another said she had been “so lucky” to benefit from “so many great swaps”, adding that it was “very special” to see parents “picking up the items you’ve donated, knowing they’re not just going to the landfill”.