Local group supports Warwickshire families facing crisis as back-to-school costs soar
Families in Warwickshire have been getting a helping hand thanks to several projects providing free pre-used school uniforms and meals over the summer holidays
A local charity is supporting families across Warwickshire that are struggling with back-to-school costs.
The Leamington Spa Morrisons group supports the local community, local charities and their national partnership.
There is a section in-store where parents can pick up donated uniforms, and they were the first to provide free school dinners to children over the holidays.
Alex Pearson, community champion, said: “People can just go down and take what they want. It's that amazing thing of no questions asked because we're not here to judge you. We're not here to make you feel worse. We're here to support you and make sure that you and your children can have whatever anyone else can have.
“There is help out there. There are some youth clubs again that also support children in need. We helped with Young People's First, as they were supporting children who were going into high school. They were supporting with stationery, so we were able to donate some stationery sets just to help with the rest of their stuff.”
Research commissioned by responsible lender Creditspring showed that to afford back-to-school costs after the summer holidays, many parents will be forced to borrow – nearly four in ten (37%) parents say they expect spending on supplies will put them into debt.
Meanwhile, over one in ten (13%) of parents will have to turn to their overdraft and 10% will need to use Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) products to fund essential school equipment.