Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School’s Swap Shop opened in March, and has been a raging success!
The Swap Shop is a project created by Head of Art Sam Joice, in a bid to teach students the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling, and to give them an avenue to steer them away from fast fashion.
Students can swap their nearly-new clothes for tokens, which they can then use to get different clothes through Swap Shop.
Students were asked: ‘Have you got clothes in your wardrobe that you don’t wear? Worn twice? Not your thing anymore, but still in good nick? By using Swap Shop, those clothes can to go to a new, loving home and, in return, your wardrobe can be full of pieces you love to wear. No cash involved’.
The Swap Shop also includes a Prom section, with dresses, suits and accessories for students to look through, by appointment only.
Students have booked appointments after school for a private viewing with their parents and carers.
This has been very successful and really helped with those high prom attire prices – as the Swap Shop prom items are free! No tokens required.
There has been some very special moments with students and their parents as students chose their prom outfits.
Mrs Joice commented: “The Swap Shop opening in March was a great success and the space was packed out with students, parents and staff, with many students perusing the rails and swapping items for something new for themselves.
“I am humbled by the generosity of those who have donated, and how many visitors we had today embracing the project.
“Not only does this project mean our students can be part of something sustainable, it gives our current and future Swap Shop volunteers – our ‘Swap Assistants’ – the opportunity to gain experience in the operation of a small business.
“They wear their Swap Assistant badges with pride, and we are proud of them!”
Here’s a link to the short promo video to explain a little more about the venture: https://youtu.be/9AZhd-ZuY3M
You can view our Instagram account here: www.instagram.com/botelerswapshop
