ReLoved Clothing

21/09/2026

This was ReLoved Clothing four years ago… ❤️

Looking at these photos now, it’s actually quite hard to believe just how far we’ve come.

A few rails. A couple of cupboards. Boxes of shoes on the floor. Handwritten labels. Donated school uniform.

That was ReLoved.

We didn’t have everything figured out. We didn’t have huge resources behind us. We simply saw something that didn’t make sense, perfectly good clothing going to waste while families were struggling to afford the things their children needed, and decided to do something about it.

And what has grown from that little idea is something I don’t think any of us could have imagined.

Today, ReLoved supports families right across Hartlepool. We work alongside schools, community organisations and statutory services. People are referred to us when they are facing some incredibly difficult circumstances, and families also simply walk through our doors knowing they will be welcomed.

We’ve helped children go to school feeling like they belong.

We’ve clothed people who had very little.

We’ve stepped in during emergencies.

We’ve listened when somebody needed to talk.

We’ve picked up the phone and helped connect people to support when a bag of clothes was only a tiny part of what was happening in their lives.

We’ve kept an enormous amount of perfectly good clothing in use instead of seeing it thrown away.

We’ve saved families an incredible amount of money.

We’ve created opportunities for people to volunteer, build confidence, find friendships, develop skills and have somewhere they feel they belong.

We’ve built relationships across our town that mean we can do far more together than any one organisation could do alone.

We’ve spoken up about uniform poverty and the reality facing families. We’ve taken those conversations beyond Hartlepool, into the media and into much bigger conversations about what needs to change.

And through all of that growth, ReLoved has remained volunteer-led.

People giving their time, energy, skills and heart because they believe in what ReLoved stands for.

That deserves shouting about.

Because when I look at these photographs, I don’t just see some old rails of uniform.

I see the beginning of something extraordinary.

Something built from community. From generosity. From relationships. From people noticing a problem and deciding not to walk past it.

It hasn’t always been easy. There have been moments when we’ve genuinely wondered how we could possibly keep going. We’ve learned, adapted, struggled, laughed, cried (many times) and probably moved those clothes rails a thousand times. 😂

But we kept going.

And look at what this community created.

From this little room four years ago to everything ReLoved Clothing is today.

Not just clothes.

Not just school uniform.

Dignity. Choice. Connection. Relationships. Opportunity. Community.

And now it’s time to think about what ReLoved could become next.

We know there is so much more potential here, and part of our next chapter is finding people who want to step into leadership roles within ReLoved, people with ideas, energy and skills who can help us strengthen what already exists and take it further.

You don’t necessarily need a particular job title or background. We want to hear from people who understand community, who believe in what we do and who might have something to bring, whether that’s leadership, governance, fundraising, partnerships, business skills, communications or simply the drive to help something good grow.

And there are lots of other ways to stand alongside us too.

Share our story. Donate. Volunteer. Introduce us to businesses and organisations. Fund us. Champion us. Talk about us. Help us open the next door.

Because everything ReLoved is today started with what you can see in these photographs.

A few rails. A few cupboards. An idea. And people willing to give it a go.

Four years later, look what our community has built.

This was us then.
You should see us now.

And if you think you could be part of where ReLoved goes next, we’d really love to hear from you. ❤️

17/09/2026

🔐 A little message from ReLoved… please just use the front door!

Unfortunately, we’ve now had two attempted accesses to our property via our back yard, including attempts to forcefully break through doors.

Now, we’re slightly confused because… we literally give everything away for free 🤷‍♀️😏

There really is no need for Mission Impossible-style entrances, climbing into yards, forcefully breaking doors, or trying to find another way in. Just come through the front door and speak to us. ❤️

If you need clothing, we will help wherever we can.

If you’re looking for somewhere safe or sheltered, please speak to us. There are organisations and services locally that may be able to support you, and we will always try to help you connect with the right people.

But we do need to make one serious point.

ReLoved receives very little funding. We’re volunteer-run, and we work incredibly hard to make the small amount of money we have stretch as far as possible.

When our property, fencing, gates, doors or anything else is damaged, we have to pay to put it right.

And every pound we spend repairing unnecessary damage is a pound that can’t be used to keep ReLoved running and supporting local families and individuals.

So please…

❤️ Need clothes? Come in.
❤️ Need help? Talk to us.
❤️ Not sure where to turn? Ask us.
🚪 Need to get into ReLoved? The front door is definitely the easiest option.

No scaling walls or forcing doors required. 😂

Please respect our little organisation and the volunteers who give their time to keep it going. We genuinely would much rather have a conversation with you than have to repair the damage afterwards. ❤️

📣 And we’re asking our community to help us too — please spread the word and share this post.

ReLoved is here to help people. Every day, our volunteers give their time to make sure clothing and support reach people who need it, completely free of charge.

Please help us protect that. Don’t damage our mission to support our community.

Share the message. Tell people we’re here. And if someone needs our help, send them through our front door — we’d much rather welcome them in. ❤️

15/09/2026

Good morning

Please note ReLoved Clothing will unfortunately be closed today

Sorry for any inconvenience

We should be back open Thursday

Regards

ReLoved Clothing Team

10/09/2026

Tomorrow our wondeful James turns 30!

Today we had cake and samg happy birthday!

Hope you have a wonderful birthday 😊

01/09/2026

❤️ A little reminder from ReLoved Clothing … please be kind.

It’s been another incredibly tough couple of weeks at ReLoved.

Over the last three weeks, we’ve seen some of the biggest numbers of people coming through our doors, and we know why. The six-week holidays and the run-up to children returning to school is always one of our busiest periods of the year, second only to winter.

We genuinely appreciate every single person who walks through our doors, every school that supports us and every member of our community who donates school uniform. Without those donations, we simply couldn’t do what we do.

But after a particularly difficult week, and especially today, we do need to clarify a few things and ask for a little understanding in return.

We have had an influx of parents experiencing delays with uniform they have ordered directly through schools or their uniform suppliers/manufacturers.

We absolutely understand how stressful that is when children are due back at school and the uniform you have paid for hasn’t arrived.

However, ReLoved has no connection to those suppliers or manufacturers.

We don’t purchase our school uniform from manufacturers, we don’t have access to their ordering systems and unfortunately we cannot contact them to find out where an order is or when it will arrive.

Every item of school uniform we provide has been donated to us, either by local schools or by incredibly generous members of our community.

That also means our stock is entirely dependent upon what is donated. Sometimes we will have exactly what somebody needs. Sometimes, despite desperately wanting to help, we simply won’t.

And that brings us to something really important.

Please be kind to our volunteers.

ReLoved has no paid members of staff.

The people you see behind our counter, sorting through mountains of uniform, answering messages, finding sizes, hanging clothes and helping hundreds of families are there because they have chosen to give their time freely to help other people in their community.

They deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.

We know parents are stressed. We know uniform is expensive. We know how frightening it can feel when the first day of school is approaching and something still hasn’t arrived.

That is exactly why ReLoved exists.

But frustration about an order placed elsewhere cannot be directed at the volunteers who are trying to help find an alternative.

The same applies to messages. Behind every reply is a real person giving up their time. Please remember that when contacting us, particularly if the answer is that unfortunately we don’t currently have the size or item you need.

Wherever possible, we would also encourage families to order required uniform with plenty of time before the start of term. We appreciate that this isn't always possible and that delays are outside of parents' control, but leaving additional time where you can may help avoid that last-minute panic.

Today, we have also loaned blazers to families whose purchased uniform has not yet arrived because we don’t want children going back to school without what they need.

If you have borrowed one from us for this reason, please, please return it once your child's uniform arrives.

That blazer can then go straight back out and help another child.

We will continue doing everything we possibly can to support families.

We will continue providing uniform for free.

We will continue stretching every donation as far as we possibly can.

And our volunteers will continue turning up because they care enormously about this community.

All we ask in return is a little patience, understanding and kindness.

We are human too. We are volunteers. And even when we can't give you the answer or the uniform you hoped for, we are still trying to help. ❤️

Thank you, as always, to everyone who donates, supports us, volunteers with us and treats our little team with the kindness they deserve.

Natalie ❤️

20/08/2026

ReLoved has never been just about clothes.

Today has been one of those days that really demonstrates what that means.

An hour before we had even officially opened our doors this morning, we were supporting someone who had spent the night sleeping rough, soaked through after the torrential rain.

Yes, the immediate need was obvious: warmth, dignity and dry clothing.

But the first thing we did wasn't reach for a bag of clothes.

We sat them down. We asked if they were okay. And then we asked a really simple question:

"What do you need?"

Not "What can we provide?"
Not "Which of our services do you fit into?"
Not "Where can we signpost you?"

What do you need, right now?

That distinction matters.

We got them warm. We found clean, dry clothing and made sure there were additional warm clothes available should they find themselves sleeping outside again tonight.

But clothing was only one part of what was needed.

So we picked up the phone.

We contacted appropriate local services to help connect them with mental health support and housing and homelessness assistance. We didn't simply give someone a list of numbers and send them back out of the door to navigate an already complicated system alone.

And that wasn't the only situation today.

We responded to an urgent referral for someone needing emergency clothing.

Then we supported a family facing financial hardship who needed school uniform for their children. There was a significant language barrier and, on this occasion, we simply didn't have the uniform they needed available.

Again, we could have said, "Sorry, we don't have it."

We could have given them another number or another organisation to try.

Instead, we picked up the phone.

Because knowing our local system, understanding how different organisations work and having relationships with people across Hartlepool meant we could help bridge that gap. We were able to contact relevant support and the school involved and help find a way forward.

This is the part of ReLoved that isn't always visible.

We are a clothing support service. But clothing is often only the reason somebody first walks through our door.

Behind that need might be homelessness, poverty, mental health difficulties, language barriers, isolation, crisis or simply somebody who doesn't know how to navigate the system in front of them.

And that's why I struggle with the idea that support can simply be signposting.

For someone who is already overwhelmed, vulnerable, exhausted, struggling with language or navigating circumstances most of us couldn't imagine, another telephone number isn't always enough.

Sometimes support means sitting beside someone.

Sometimes it means asking what they need rather than deciding what we can offer.

Sometimes it means knowing who to call.

And sometimes it means picking up the phone and making that call with them.

We can't solve everything, and we shouldn't try to replace the specialist organisations and professionals whose expertise people need.

But we can work alongside them.

We can connect the dots.

And we can do everything within our ability to make sure someone doesn't walk back out of our door carrying exactly the same problem they walked in with.

Sometimes that starts with a school jumper.

Sometimes it's a dry coat.

And sometimes it's simply having somebody sit you down and ask:

"Are you okay? What do you need?"

That's ReLoved.

Clothing might be what brings people through our doors.

People are why we're here. ❤️

18/08/2026

The cost of simply getting through the school holidays is becoming too much for far too many families.

Food. Childcare. Activities. Keeping children entertained. Then, before the summer is even over, the pressure of school uniforms, shoes, PE kits and everything else needed for September begins.

Over recent weeks, we’ve been speaking about this very issue across BBC Look North, ITV Tyne Tees, radio stations and the Hartlepool Mail. But behind every interview I do and every statistic I may give are real families and today was a stark reminder of just how great the need is.

In just four hours today, nearly 200 people came through the doors of ReLoved.

15 of those families had never needed to come to us before.

The overwhelming majority were looking for school uniform.

That matters.

Because every new family walking through our doors represents another household feeling the squeeze. Another parent trying to work out how to make everything stretch. Another family facing costs that simply don't fit within an already stretched budget.

And these aren't families asking for luxuries.

They're asking for the basics their children need to go to school.

At ReLoved Clothing we see this day in, day out. At this time of year, the demand becomes relentless.

We are incredibly proud that we can be here. Proud of our volunteers who keep going when the shop is packed. Proud of every person who donates uniform and clothing. Proud that something as simple as passing on a blazer, a pair of trousers or a school jumper can take one worry off a parent's shoulders.

But we also shouldn't normalise the level of need we're seeing.

We will keep talking about it.
We will keep challenging it.
We will keep making sure the voices and experiences of local families are heard.

And most importantly, we will keep our doors open and keep supporting families for as long as they need us.

Because no parent should be lying awake worrying about whether they can afford to send their child back to school in September.

And no child should ever feel different because their family couldn't afford the uniform.

We won't stop fighting for families. We won't stop supporting them. And we won't stop making sure our community has somewhere to turn. ❤️



https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D3qAkxqoH/

The Hartlepool free school uniform service that has given out over 3,000 items already

06/08/2026

It's always a pleasure to support West View Advice and Resource Centre with their annual school uniform event.

No single organisation can meet every need on its own.

Real, lasting change happens when we stop working in isolation and start working together, sharing resources, knowledge and a common purpose.

That's how we build stronger communities.

Every school jumper, pair of trousers and coat represents so much more than clothing. It eases financial pressure, gives children confidence as they head back to school, and reminds families that their community is behind them.

Thank you to everyone at West View for everything you do, and to everyone who donated, volunteered and supported the event. We're proud to play a part alongside so many fantastic organisations and volunteers who are committed to making sure no child goes without.

Here's to continuing to work together, because collaboration isn't just good practice, it's how we create lasting change for the people who need us most. 💙

02/08/2026

⚽ Can you help us remove another barrier to getting active?

Over the past two weeks of Hartlepool Sport's FREE football sessions, we've seen something incredible.

Almost every item of free sports clothing and footwear we had available has found a new home. That's exactly what it's there for.

For many families, the cost of sports kit can be the difference between taking part and sitting on the sidelines. Something as simple as a pair of trainers, football boots or a tracksuit can open the door to confidence, friendships, exercise and belonging.

We're now asking for your help.

If you have any clean, good-quality sports clothing, footwear or kit that you no longer need, we'd love to give it a second life.

We're looking for donations for both adults and children, including:
⚽ Football boots
👟 Trainers
👕 Sports tops and T-shirts
🩳 Shorts
👖 Tracksuits and hoodies
🧤 Shin pads and other sports equipment

Every donation will go directly back into our community, helping someone take part who otherwise might not have been able to.

If you'd like to donate, please get in touch or drop your items into ReLoved Clothing

Together, we can keep people active, remove barriers and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be part of something.

29/07/2026

Dont miss out on our volunteer roles. Start immediately 🩷

Good morning. We are currently on the look for Volunteers to work at Reloved. If your interesed in stock management, social media creation or even reception work, please pop down to our store on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 and 2 and speak to a member of staff for more information. ℹ️