Recycled clothes donations raise £1m for charity

Yorkshire Air Ambulance attended to 1,226 casualties in 2024

A life-saving charity has raised £1m thanks to people donating unwanted clothing.

The money was raised by Yorkshire Air Ambulance after at least 90 tonnes of unwanted clothing and textiles was given to its recycling banks every month, a spokesperson said.

Since 2020, the items had been sold to a recycling company, Recycling Solutions, which either sold them on, usually to second-hand clothing companies, or recycled them, according to the charity.

Katie Roberts, Yorkshire Air Ambulance's director of relationship fundraising, said: "Every donation, whether it's a single item or a whole bag, plays a vital role in keeping our helicopters flying and our critical care teams ready to respond."

Ms Roberts praised the "generosity and community spirit of people across Yorkshire" in helping the charity reach the £1m milestone in its 25th year.

The independent charity, which relies on donations to operate, helps people in urgent need or emergency care.

Often providing specialist treatment at the scene of an incident before transporting them to hospital, it helped 1,226 casualties in 2024.

Wendy Yarney, recycling bank coordinator at Recycling Solutions, said, "It's inspiring to see how the simple act of donating unwanted clothing can have such a far-reaching impact, both for the environment and for people in urgent need of medical care."

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