Firefighters raise £22,000 for charity through unwanted clothing

Firefighters in Cheshire have raised a staggering £22,000 for The Fire Fighters Charity thanks to diverting more than 127 tonnes of clothing away from landfill sites.

The fundraising began in 2012 when Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service agreed to host clothing banks outside a number of fire stations across the county.

Since then an amazing 127.2 tonnes of unwanted clothing has been donated by both firefighters and members of the public.

All of the clothing, which was most likely destined for landfill, has either been re-sold, re-used or recycled – helping to raise £22,048 for The Fire Fighters Charity in the process.

Stuart Plaskett, who is Service's Fire Fighter Charity coordinator said: “This is an absolutely fantastic result – not only have we managed to divert more than 125 tonnes of clothing away from landfill sites, helping to protect the environment, but we’ve also been able to raise a staggering £22,048 for Fire Fighters Charity.

“The Fire Fighters Charity is dedicated to providing essential respite, recuperation and rehabilitation for sick and injured firefighters and their families. 

“The charity relies on donations and fundraising, and the coronavirus pandemic has caused a massive reduction in the level of funding they have received – which is why we are committed to doing all that we can to help them.”

Kevin Biles, Sales and Recycling manager at The Fire Fighters Charity, said: “I cannot express how grateful we really are for all the clothing that we have received from both the staff at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and members of the local community.

“We initially began our clothing recycling scheme in 2009 and since then we’ve enjoyed over 10 years of continued growth, generating over £4.6million across the UK (up to March 2021), re-diverting over 26,000 tonnes of unwanted clothing away from landfill.

"Our next milestone, nationally is to drive income through clothes recycling over and above £5million and with the fantastic support we receive from Services such as Cheshire Fire and Rescue, we will achieve this.

“Through the money we’ve received we’re able to provide confidential, personalised support to the whole of the fire services community, delivering mental health, physical health and social wellbeing services at our centres, remotely, online and in communities around the UK.”