UHI Perth are proud supporters of sportscotland’s Kit For All campaign as part of their commitment to being an active campus.
The aim of the Kit for All campaign is to provide free pre-loved sportswear to students to ensure there are no barriers for them to participate in sport and physical activity. UHI Perth have been championing the campaign in recent years with over 500 clothing items being provided to those in need.
We caught up with Lindsey Brown, Active Campus Coordinator at UHI Perth, to find out more about the campaign's success.
Q1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project and how it started?
The Kit For All project is a sportscotland initiative offering pre-loved sportswear to individuals that need it. We originally brought the project to UHI Perth through observation of students attending our sports sessions continuously in the same clothing or wearing items that were worn out. We wanted to offer an accessible way to access sportswear without noticeably targeting individuals hence introducing the Kit For All project to our campus. Our set up allows individuals to casually access the items on offer and help themselves without any questions asked, reducing the barriers to seeking help.
Q2. What did you enjoy most about the UHI Perth Kit for All campaign?
The most enjoyable aspect of the Kit For All campaign is its ability to help others without you even knowing. The stand is available from Monday - Friday 07:00-22:00 and Saturday and Sunday 08:00-20:00 allowing those that need access as much as possible. I very rarely see individuals taking items from the stall, however I regularly notice its requirement to be refilled. Simply knowing that someone has found an item that will help them be active in their own way is rewarding. Additionally, because there is no human interaction required to accessing the items, you can use the campaign as many times as you like without fear of judgement or questioning. No one knows if you have taken an item because you need it or because it has caught your eye!
Q3. What is the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?
Naturally, one of the biggest challenges was going to be keeping the project refilled when required. To tackle this, we partnered with our on campus commercial gym. The gym regularly receives lost and found items that if not collected, would go to the charity shop. Alternatively, once the items have been stored for the designated amount of time, they are washed and dried to be donated to the campaign for anyone to access. This has allowed us to have regular refills without kit drives being required. We have also received a generous amount of donations from the public that wish their pre-loved sports clothes to help others in need.
Q4. What feedback have you received about the scheme?
The feedback we have received has been really positive! We have 100% of feedback stating they would be extremely likely to recommend the stall to a friend. Our anonymous feedback also received 'I am having financial difficulty at the moment and the project helped me get active' which shows the project is doing exactly what we had hoped it would! We have had over 500 items taken also highlighting the need and impact of the campaign.
Q5. What advice would you give to others looking to start a similar initiative?
My advice would be to not over-complicate it! Our Kit For All campaign is extremely simple but massively effective. It takes very little dedicated time to keep it refilled, we have an optional QR code for feedback and with our partnership with lost and found it reduces the requirement for designated kit drives.