Uniform Exchange received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service – the equivalent of an MBE - for the outstanding work done by its volunteers to provide free second-hand school uniform to anyone who needs it throughout Kirklees, including some of the most deprived areas in the UK.
The charity encourages thousands of people across Kirklees to donate school uniform through dozens of collection points which volunteers collect, clean, mend where necessary and redistribute to families in need or anyone who wants second-hand uniform.
Demand on the charity is soaring and it helped more than 11,000 children in 2024, giving them 100,000 items of school uniform. All the uniform is reused or recycled and the charity’s work keeps around 50 tonnes of school uniform from needlessly going into landfill in Kirklees each year.
Uniform Exchange was founded by Huddersfield mum Kate France in 2011 and became a registered charity in March 2018 with Kate as its voluntary project director.
The charity received the stunning crystal award and certificate from HM Lord Lt of West Yorkshire Ed Anderson, CBE, who told Kate and the volunteers: “The scale and quality of what you do is incredible. I’ve presented around 60 of these awards and what I inevitably find is that the organisation is led by an individual bursting with creativity, determination and energy.
“They have a magic something about them that makes people want to follow them and we have that at Uniform Exchange with Kate France.
“This is an award for everybody – all the volunteers and everyone associated with this amazing organisation. Congratulations to Kate, all the trustees and everyone else who believes in this charity and its wonderful team.”
Chair of trustees Karen Hobson added: “Kate’s vision and passion to serve this community is immense. She’s the chief volunteer who gives every ounce of her energy to the charity.”
Volunteers also run the charity’s fundraising shop on its Burbeary Road site which is simply called The Charity Shop.
Uniform Exchange has a team of more than 30 dedicated volunteers and Kate said: “I see the hard work all our volunteers do day in and day out to help thousands of families struggling financially across Kirklees.
“They do it with a smile, a determination and a passion to ensure that every child receives what they need to fully integrate into school which is such a critical foundation in their lives.
“This award is for our volunteers, a testament to all the countless hours they put in to help others and a fantastic recognition that their work is truly appreciated. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of them, past and present, on behalf of all the thousands of families they’ve helped.
“They make a real, tangible difference to the quality of people’s lives and that’s what community charities are all about, selflessly helping others.”
Uniform Exchange volunteer Deborah Rawcliffe said: “I wanted to support a service that helps others and school uniform is so desperately needed by people struggling to afford it. The cost of buying a full set of school uniform is ridiculous and simply unaffordable for people in dire straits who really need the help Uniform Exchange can provide.”
The event was held at Cathedral House, the home of Huddersfield Christian Fellowship on St Thomas’ Road in Huddersfield.