Bringing a Brighter Future for Bromley Families

Bromley Brighter Beginnings is a charity dedicated to helping vulnerable families living in financial hardship. Every year, they receive numerous requests for help with school uniforms. And it is no wonder, as kitting a child out in a full uniform can cost up to £400.

About the cause

Bromley Brighter Beginnings is a volunteer-run charity dedicated to helping vulnerable families across the London Borough of Bromley. Many have found themselves facing financial hardship through no fault of their own, often on the back of fleeing domestic violence or other sensitive situations.

Every year, the charity is inundated with requests for help from teachers and social and refuge workers who identify families struggling to afford the next year’s school uniform.

By sourcing quality pre-loved items or purchasing new ones, the charity does its best to meet as many requests as possible, so that children from families in need are able to go to school with a sense of pride.

School uniforms will typically cost £300 to £400 per child, which is enough of a strain in normal circumstances. Add a period of heightened economic strain, and things become even more of a challenge, especially for families with more than one child.

During a financial year, BBB help more than 45 families with school uniform, costing them £2218. This was over double the number of families assisted the year before. So it’s clear to see that the situation is worsening.

How we helped

We donated 142 items of clothing to Bromley Brighter Beginnings to distribute to their families. This included shirts, skirts and PE kits suitable for a range of age groups.

The initiative was one of a number that formed part of our anniversary charity and social value commitment programme, headed up by FFT Associates Lynn Bekir and Adam Keys.

“This donation from FFT will help many vulnerable families across the borough.”

Handing over the uniforms to charity trustee Tracy Griffin, Lynn Bekir said:

“Bromley Brighter Beginnings relies on donations of items from the local community to help families in need throughout the borough. The families they help, many of whom are fleeing domestic violence, are referred to the service by professionals. We are very pleased that we were able to contribute in some way to the wonderful work this charity does, relieving the pressure on parents at such a crucial time as their children return to school.”

Adam Keys added: “Supporting the hardworking volunteers at BBB, and the families they take care of, has been very humbling for FFT.”

The outcome

Jenny Manning, Fundraising Volunteer at Bromley Brighter Beginnings said:

“We are so grateful to Faithorn Farrell Timms for their donation of new school uniform as we are currently seeing a huge demand. School uniform can be very expensive and, for families struggling financially worrying about how they will find the funds to purchase these items, it can be hugely stressful.

“For lots of parents it is simply impossible for them to provide all the items schools require. We want to relieve some of this pressure on parents and ensure all children across the borough can go to school wearing the correct uniform and feeling proud and confident in their appearance. This donation from FFT will help many vulnerable families across the borough, so a big thank you from all of us at Team BBB.”