#noweartorun……. The introduction of social prescribing and ‘green prescriptions’ are both strategies to support people in taking steps to improve their own mental health, and both are giving the same message to patients: “Get outside, practice simple activity in your local area, like going for a jog or a walk. The great outdoors is free of charge!” Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true.

If you don’t own appropriate clothing to take up this brilliant advice, and you can’t afford to buy it, what are you supposed to do? If this were you, wouldn’t you feel completely trapped? Wouldn’t you feel like you had nowhere to run? Wouldn’t your mental health issues worsen? For the 14 million people living in poverty in the UK, this is a stark reality. We aren’t talking about the affordability of specialist activewear here. We simply mean not being able to afford the very basics to take up this beneficial ‘free of charge’ activity: a pair of trainers; a pair of joggers or leggings; decent shoes strong enough to walk in; a fleece or a coat. These staples are beyond the reach of all those living in clothing poverty.

https://sharewearclothingscheme.org

https://youtu.be/LUH-KS8gd2U?si=UTWo5C3GQsUf0kf4

https://bambooclothing.co.uk/no-wear-to-run-by-louise-cooke-ceo-of-sharewear-clothing-scheme/

A small charity doing big things, Sharewear works to alleviate clothing poverty on both a referral and outreach basis through the distribution of public donations of pre-loved clothing and bedding as well as retailers' pre- and post-consumer waste to those most in need in the UK from their centres in Nottinghamshire. Aside from clothing around 26,000 people per year whilst diverting over a tonne of clothing from landfill in the UK every week, Sharewear also proactively seeks to educate the nation about the hidden scandal of clothing poverty