HNC is delighted to reveal that the College has announced that it will be working in partnership with Kirklees charity ‘Shared Goods’ – a cause that supports refugees and asylum seekers to access appropriate clothing for employment and volunteering opportunities – by hosting a ‘charity clothing drive’ over the coming months. HNC’s community will be focusing on collecting items specifically for men aged 16-24, as the charity has reported that this is where their main shortages lie.
Shared Goods is a local charity that works with young refugees and asylum seekers to access clothing that is both age appropriate and suitable for those who are seeking to gain employment. Young people aged 16-24 who arrive in the UK fleeing violence, persecution or war in their home countries, often arrive in the UK with limited possessions, which makes it difficult to adjust to life in the UK. Specifically targeted at young men, a group who are frequently underrepresented with regards to clothing donations, Shared Goods provides much needed help to those who have been referred to the service.
HNC is proud to be working alongside Shared Goods to collect donations from across our College community. We are asking students and staff to donate any suitable clothing for men aged 16-24, with a particular focus on contemporary casual and business wear, that could help those who need it to settle into life in the UK and start the process of securing employment. Jamie Marsden, Head of Faculty Enlighten, and project leader, comments “We are delighted to be working alongside Shared Goods to support some of the most vulnerable members of our wider community. Those who have arrived in Huddersfield as refugees or asylum seekers often have limited clothing, and this makes an already difficult situation much harder to adapt to. Young men especially are often not catered for through charity donations, and Shared Goods works incredibly hard to ensure that this group have the items of clothing that they need to start their new lives with confidence. The College’s vision is to empower one another to shape a better future for everyone, and I know that our community will come together to support this very worthy cause”.
A donation collection point has been created in the foyer of Aspen, and all clothing donations for men, women and children will be gratefully accepted, however there is a dire shortage of clothing suitable for men aged 16-24, particularly contemporary styled casual, business and workwear.