Affordable clothing this winter

Aim

To enable those suffering from financial hardship to access affordable quality clothing in Thetford this winter.

Who are you?                                                                                             

New-U Enterprises is a UK registered charity which enables the community to live more sustainably and supports unemployed young people move closer to work.

What do you do?  

We have a clothes and accessories swap-shop in two localities in Norfolk (Norwich and Cromer) which offer an accessible and alternative shopping experience.  Pre-loved items are brought to us and swapped for “points” which people can then spend on previously donated items in our stores giving customers a ‘New You.’  

How are you supporting people with financial wellbeing?

We would like to set up a sustainable clothing retail outlet from a well-used community centre in Thetford.  

 The Charles Burrell Centre is a lifeline to the local community.   Formerly a school, the building is now a thriving community/business centre with over 50 organisations working from it to improve the quality of life for people in Thetford.  One of its most well-used services is a community supermarket which contains subsidised products for those who are experiencing financial hardship.  

Over the last 3 months, New-U has been providing a small supply of clothing for centre members to access free of charge.  This has been a popular additional service alongside the supermarket and with your support we would like to expand this offer further.

With the grant, we would like to convert a disused science laboratory within the centre into a sustainable clothing retail outlet.  This will enable community members experiencing financial hardship a greater selection of clothes to choose from in a supportive and friendly environment.  We want to inspire and educate the local community that second-hand doesn’t mean second best and that by wearing pre-loved clothing they are helping to protect the planet and their purse strings.

Access to the service will be free of charge but each item of clothing taken out will be charged at 10-20p.  From running the community supermarket, The Charles Burrell Centre have found that people on low incomes have greater dignity if they are contributing a small amount financially to the service rather than getting items completely free of charge.  We are adopting this concept for people who will want to benefit from selecting pre-loved clothing items in the New-U retail outlet.  

We believe it is important that we are affordable/accessible for those who need us most so for those that cannot afford to make a small contribution we will offer free clothing bundles providing a referral is received from an organisation they are receiving support from.

We would like to host volunteering opportunities from the outlet which will support the community to gain skills in customer service, team working and communication.  This will vastly increase their confidence, self-esteem and sense of self-worth and help prepare them for future job opportunities.   

How do you work?

New-U is governed by a Board of Trustees representing business, employability, community, third sector and environmental backgrounds who feed into the strategy and business planning for the organisation.  The Board is supported by our Steering Group which includes current and former work placement representatives, customers, and stakeholders.  Our small but mighty staff team, led by our full time Strategic/Founding Director, have unique skills in supporting young people with their employability goals and a deep passion for protecting the environment.

Why should I support you?

Our project will help people with the financial burden of the cost-of-living crisis by enabling those on little to no income a way to access quality items for themselves and their family members.  

We are aiming to help a minimum of 1,000 adults to directly access the sustainable clothing retail outlet over an initial 6-month period.  

Currently, the Charles Burrell Centre has around 500 households signed up as members of the community supermarket which equates to approximately 1,300 adults.  The centre is also regularly used by over 300 young people aged 16-24 and 260 under 11’s.   

One customer has said: “This shop makes me feel so much better.  I have health issues and not much money to spend on clothes and coming in here cheers me up.  My husband came in yesterday, swapped some clothes and left with 4 lovely shirts.  My daughter loves it here too.”

We would like to directly benefit a minimum of 8 unemployed people to become volunteers in the shop and increase their skills and experiences to help them move closer to employment. 

With your help, we want to continue to expand into this new area of Norfolk and ensure our unique offer benefits people in the difficult months to come.

Any last words?

New-U is more than just a swap-shop. We are a community of people passionate about saving the environment by slowing the curve of fashion consumerism in our community. Our passion extends to our social environment and improving social mobility. We are changing lives and the environment in our community for a better, more sustainable future. 

Thank you for any contribution you can make, no matter how small.

The New-U Team 

This project successfully funded on 28th December 2022