School uniforms to be sent to Africa by Darwen charity (From Lancashire Telegraph)

School uniforms to be sent to Africa by Darwen charity

8:00pm Sunday 30th September 2012 in News By Kate Jackson, Reporter

A CHARITY shop is sending out hundreds of uniforms to Africa children from a school that closed down.

Broken Arcs, in Duckworth Street, Darwen, has teamed up with a second-hand school uniform provider to send out around 150 uniforms to northern Malawi from former Beardwood Humanities College in Blackburn.

The uniforms which include shirts, trousers, skirts, ties, blazors and PEkits were donated by Mums The Word after reading an appeal in the Lancashire Telegraph.

The uniforms had been given to Mums The Word by the school who were keen to see them go to good use.

Mums The Word, which is run by Caroline Fotios and Rachel Rhodes, take donations of unwanted school uniforms and sell it on to parents who can’t afford expensive new clothing for their children.

Pat Monks, who opened Broken Arcs in 1994 to help poverty-stricken people locally and abroad, said: “After the appeal in the Lancashire Telegraph, I was contacted by Mums The Word who offered to supply school uniforms for us to send to Malawi.

“The uniforms are due to be sent in the next three to four weeks and will be distributed by my contact over there. They will be given children who attend different schools throughout the region who may wear them for everyday purposes and to attend school.”

Broken Arcs was forced to close after it lost most of its stock during the devastating floods that hit the town at the summer.

But the shop is now back on its feet after help from Mums The Word who have now taken over part of the shop.

Caroline, from Mums The Word, said they were the only people offering second-hand school uniforms in the borough.

She said: “We came up with the idea last year and we have just been in the development stages since then.

“We have been collecting stock and trying to market ourselves.

“It will be a big boost to get the shop, especially in Darwen as we have close links with all the schools in town and a collection basket in the Town Hall.

“As well as supplying schoolwear, this is helping to keep fabrics in use and out of landfill.”