Uniformerly
1963. Simon Gossling
Simon Gossling, from Cheltenham, designed and launched the nationwide school uniform recycling initiative ‘Uniformerly’ to help parents cut the cost of buying school uniforms and reduce large amounts of clothing waste.
Simon started the initiative during lockdown for the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, developing a website and free online marketplace where parents, schools and Parents and Teachers Associations can buy, sell, give away and recycle outgrown uniforms direct to other parents at their school. Members from over 3,800 schools are now registered with ‘Uniformerly’, and Simon is also working alongside school uniform suppliers and local authorities to improve sustainability, social inclusion, and child poverty prevention.
Laurence Robertson, MP for Tewkesbury, said:
“I’m very glad that Simon has been recognised for the hard work he undertook during lockdown. Helping parents with cost-cutting whilst also promoting recycling is a terrific initiative, especially when coupled with his passion for the environment and child poverty prevention. Well deserved!”
Simon said:
“It’s an honour to receive this nomination and a huge boost for ‘Uniformerly’ which has been an enormous team effort. We will continue to work hard to make sure that as much school uniform as possible is recycled and reused, helping parents, schools and the environment.”