We’re delighted to let residents know that a brand-new yellow clothes and shoe bank has now been installed right in front of the Village Hall. This has been provided in partnership with Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
The bright yellow bank is easy to find and gives everyone in our community the chance to recycle unwanted clothes, paired shoes, handbags, and textiles. Every donation is collected, reused, or recycled, helping reduce waste while raising vital funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
How it works
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Bring along your clean, unwanted clothes, paired shoes, and textiles.
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Pop them into the yellow bank at the Village Hall.
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Collections are made regularly, and proceeds go directly towards funding the life-saving work of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
Why it matters
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is a charity that provides rapid response and specialist medical care to critically ill and injured patients. The service receives no direct government funding and relies entirely on charitable donations to keep flying, at a cost of over £5 million each year.
To put things into perspective, air ambulance charities typically receive at least £200 for every tonne of donated clothing. Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance, for example, have around 100 recycling bins in place and collected over 313 tonnes of textiles in a single year. That equates to tens of thousands of pounds raised, simply through donations from local people clearing out their wardrobes.
If our own village hall bank performs at a similar level, it could bring in around 3 tonnes of clothing a year – raising more than £600 annually for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. That’s money which directly helps save lives, generated just from the unwanted clothes in our cupboards.
By using the new clothes and shoe bank, residents in our parish are helping the environment by recycling textiles and supporting a service that saves lives across our region. Every bag donated makes a difference.
Find out more
You can read more about the charity and their incredible work on their website: www.dsairambulance.org.uk
So next time you’re having a clear-out, don’t throw things away — drop them into the bright yellow bank outside the Village Hall. Together, our small actions can have a big impact.
Thank you.