The beginning
MerryGoRound was started after our founder read in her local newspaper, the Islington Gazette, that 47% of children in the borough are living in poverty. The article included a heartbreaking story of a young boy who couldn’t go out to play at the adventure playground because he didn’t have any other clothes to change into if his clothes got dirty.
The UK is the fifth wealthiest country in the world yet thousands of children are going hungry and without the basics that most of us take for granted, like decent housing and clean clothes. It’s got to the point where schools are providing free breakfast clubs and teachers are washing pupils’ uniforms. It’s just not good enough. MerryGoRound was formed to try to do something about it.
30%
Of children in the uk are living in poverty*
70%
of children living in poverty have at least one parent in work*
500K
more children are now living in absolute poverty compared with 2010*
PEOPLE AND the planet
Some of us are fortunate enough to have too much stuff. It’s estimated that the value of unused clothing in our wardrobes is around £30 billion and around £140 million worth of clothing goes into landfill each year.*
So the next time you clear out your child’s wardrobe, we’d be hugely grateful if you could donate any gently worn clothes and shoes your kids no longer need to MerryGoRound. Not only will you be helping a local child, you’ll also be helping the planet!
Our partners
We recognise we will be able to make a greater impact by partnering with organisations who have the expertise to identify families with the greatest needs. So rather than work directly with the public, we require families to be referred to us by a professional who knows their circumstances well - such as a teacher or pastoral care worker, social worker, GP, health visitor, midwife, support worker or food bank. You can read more about our referral process here.
Our Supporters
We have kindly been provided with storage space by Islington Square. We are extremely grateful to them for letting us use the space for free and for assisting us with collecting items. Thank you so much to all the team at Islington Square!
We have received the majority of funding from Islington Council’s Community Chest: funded by Islington Council, in partnership with Cripplegate Foundation
We are also grateful for the awards we have received from the Arnold Clark Community Fund
Meet the Trustees
Julia Maile
Lawyer / Journalist
Clare Parrott
Chartered Tax Advisor
Kate Riddell
PR and Communications Consultant
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january 2020
merrygoround was started so that children’s clothes can be passed from one family to another - creating a circle of love within the community
Julia Maile, founder / Read more