How charity's warm coats keep children learning

CEO of Yorkshire Children's Charity, Charlotte Farrington said demand for warm clothing had increased compared to 2023

Hundreds of vulnerable children across Yorkshire were able to wrap up warm during the first snow of the season thanks to a winter support campaign.

Yorkshire Children's Charity is currently busy delivering essentials such as coats, pyjamas and bedding to 161 schools across the region.

CEO Charlotte Farrington said the clothes not only keep children warm but allow them to continue to attend school on cold days.

She said: "We want children to arrive at school warm, dry and ready to learn."

Ms Farrington said demand for the service had "unsurprisingly" doubled, with nearly 2,000 children being supported by the charity this year.

"Equipping children to go back to school, especially going into the winter season, is expensive for families," she told the BBC.

"With Christmas on the horizon as well, it's just that added financial pressure on parents to deliver."

According to the charity, many of the families it supports struggle with complex living situations and life challenges in addition to poverty.

Figures showed 67% of applications last year cited abuse, neglect, criminal exploitation, homelessness or illness and over half of the families have children who have additional educational needs.

Ms Farrington said the essentials not only improved wellbeing but school attendance too.

She said: "Last year we saw almost a 30% increase in school attendance just because children had proper, appropriate winter clothing, so could access school in the morning when it was cold, wet and windy."

Last week the charity delivered items to schools in East and South Yorkshire, and this week they are in West Yorkshire.

Headteacher at Wykebeck Primary School, Viv Watson, said the school was grateful for the charity's support.

One of the schools that received a delivery on Tuesday was Wykebeck Primary School in Leeds.

Headteacher Viv Watson said the timing could not have been "any more perfect" following heavy snowfall overnight.

"We are really keen to get children outdoors and we can only really do it on days like this in the winter when they are fully equipped with the right coats, hats, scarves, gloves," Ms Watson said.

"For children, accessing the outdoor provision is good for their mental and physical health and for developing their sense of self and their relationships."

Ms Watson said the new clothes meant "the world" to them, adding: "We are so grateful, we are so happy."

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