Cooperation in action!

Back in October 2025 off the back of our Cooperative Solutions meetings in Peterborough a conversation started with Cristina Fernandez Hierro, Recycling Education Coordinator from Peterborough City Council, Naomh Campbell, Coop UK Activator, Roland Burt, Djiboart Art & myself to create a recycle project for school uniform.

Roll forward to now...

The project has really taken off with such a great partnership between the four organisations involving lots of schools within Peterborough & beyond. Week by week the store visits have increased to hundreds of families. Donating, swapping & taking school uniform. Shopping with dignity in a safe & friendly enviroment. We have donating bins in our Stores in Yaxley & Orton which are collected by Roland, regularly.

Roland offers mindfullness art workshops also in the store, using only recycled materials, free refreshments, donated by our Membership & Community Council, quiet zones & a friendly helpful service in finding the right garment for their children. Creating a wonderful shopping experience for the whole family.

If you are a member of OurCoop & live in Cambridgeshire, please do get in touch tami.evans@centralcoop.co.uk we would be delighted in organising some messy art workshops with Roland.

Naomh from Coop UK & our Membership & Community Council designed a reward card for our members to get stamped everytime they used the shop to encourage reducing textile waste.

We are very proud to share in June the project won a bronze award at LGC National Awards in the enviromental services category. Unfortunaley I was unable to attend, but it is wonderful to be part of such an impactable & meaningful project.

This Coop fortnight, Naomh & I invited Partners & members of our Cooperative Solutions meeting group to join us at Roots and Rise where Rolands Arts & The Second Chance Uniform Shop are located. We enjoyed a tour & an update from Roland, Fairtrade refreshments, some mindful painting using Fairtrade Tea & Coffee. We shared the film of a wonderful poem This Beautiful Idea by Tony Walsh & the Co-operatives UK video: Owned by our Members.

We are also looking forward to supporting at another event along with our Funeral Colleagues at the end of the month, where we will be creating a pop up Uniform & Prom dresses shop & Community engagement.