Charities say more families than ever in need of free school uniforms
One project in Peterlee says it gave out as many as 1,500 on Friday
As kids return to school across the North East this week, charities are telling us that more families than ever before have needed a free, recycled school uniform to get their kids ready for the new term.
With the cost of uniform items like blazers more than £50 for some schools, many parents in our region have turned to Facebook groups and local donation projects to meet the cost this summer.
One of those projects, East Durham Partnership, says demand has soared this year - they estimate they've given out more than 3,000 uniforms over the summer.
Mary Cartwright from the project said:
"I opened up in the beginning of August and it was fairly quiet - I don't think people were worrying about going back to school in September in the first week of August.
"But then it's picked up and picked up until Friday just gone, and I must have easily given out between 1,000 and 1,500 uniforms.
"I think for these families this can be everything because if you're having to have your children in uniform, and you're having trouble with universal credit, and you have to pay bills, put food on the table - it must be a dream for them not having to find this extra money or if they haven't got it, having to send their kids to school without uniform."
The most recent research from the Children's Society says the average cost of a secondary school uniform is now a staggering £340 per child each year.
The study also said that one million children in the UK are living in families who are getting into debt to meet the rising cost of uniforms, with one in six cutting back on food and other basic essentials in order to afford them.