Wacky Warehouse, the UK’s leading soft play, party venue and activity centre has announced the launch of its new nationwide school uniform donation scheme.

Parents and guardians are invited to visit their local Wacky Warehouse throughout the six week summer holidays to donate any unused or old school uniform ahead of the new school year.

The charitable initiative follows new research from Wacky Warehouse revealing four in ten parents (40%) will struggle to pay for their child’s school uniform this year due to the cost of living crisis, with 65% noting school uniform as the most costly element of sending the kids back to school.

In order to afford school uniform, the research reveals the key areas parents are having to cut back on; meals out (30%), family activities (29%) and holidays (23%).

Items including blazers, shirts, trousers, skirts, and lots more, will be collected through the scheme and donated to local partner charities nominated by each site.

To donate, simply take your pre-loved school uniform to your nearest Wacky Warehouse across 69 sites and drop it in the designated donation station between 17th July – 3rd September.

The data further revealed over three quarters of UK parents (76%) regularly buy their child oversized uniform for them to grow into, while 74% wish there was a cheaper way for them to get hold of it and almost half (46%) are willing to purchase second-hand uniform to cut costs.

As part of the initiative, Wacky Warehouse has partnered with respected family psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos to help parents and children with the back to school season.

Dr Linda said: “School uniform is an important part of the back to school season and can help children feel comfortable, at ease and like they truly ‘belong’ in their new surroundings. However, now more than ever, families are facing soaring costs, making it extremely challenging to afford.

“It’s important to remember that it is completely normal to experience feelings of stress and anxiety at this time of year, whether it be due to financial worries, or anxieties about starting a new school. However, it is possible to overcome these concerns by tackling whatever issues are in front of you head-on.

“Adopting a solution-focused approach by planning ahead as much as possible and exploring cost-cutting measures is a great way to take control of the situation. Connecting with your local community and any schemes or initiatives available can also help to ease any concerns and open the conversation with likeminded people who may also be feeling the same way.

“That’s why uniform donation schemes, like the one being organised by Wacky Warehouse, are such a welcome and timely initiative for those struggling to afford the expensive back to school season. I’d encourage everyone who is able to, to donate to their local site and give what they can.”

Lorraine Collier, Head of Marketing at Wacky Warehouse, added: “At Wacky Warehouse, we pride ourselves in being a central part of the local community, and we know how costly the back to school season can be for so many – especially in the current economic climate.

“That’s why we’ve launched our school uniform donation scheme to help families with the annual expenditure this year. To donate, simply head to your local Wacky Warehouse and drop your unused or pre-loved uniforms at the designation donation stations and we’ll take care of the rest!.”