The School Bank Sponsor a Child Campaign
Become a sponsor for a child in West Lothian
Donate to The School Bank
Sponsor a Child
Our Sponsor A Child campaign is our flagship campaign that runs from May to August every year. The response we have received from this campaign has been truly heart-warming and inspirational.
In 2021, we received 356 sponsors, which equated to over £34,000 in donated uniform. We have been blown away by the generosity and kindness of our local community.
The pandemic has fit families hard and with a significant number of Ukrainian children moving to West Lothian we expect the number of children needing help this year to be far greater.
A message from Jasmine (previous Board Member)
How Sponsor a Child works
Sponsoring a child gives you the opportunity to purchase a school uniform for a local child in need. The sponsoring process is simple and straightforward.
- simply register through the link in the pinned post on our Facebook page or contact us by email at admin@schoolbank-westlothian.org
- we then match you with a young person and giving you details of their sex, sizes required and a list of items needed
- you do the shopping, working to a budget that suits you
- you drop off the items to us
- uniform packs are passed directly to referrers who gives the child/family the uniform pack
You can sponsor a child as an individual or even share the cost with friends, family or a team of work colleagues.
By sponsoring a child, you are making a positive difference to the life experience of that young person. Your efforts are immensely appreciated by everyone involved in the process.
If you want to help us by sponsoring a child please contact us
If you have any questions before committing, have a look at the FAQs below
What is sponsor a child?
Sponsor a child is an opportunity to support a local child in need by providing us with a school uniform that we then pass on to a child who has been referred to us.
How does it work?
We receive referrals from various organisations, including Schools, Social Work, Womens Aid, Advice Shop, etc. on behalf of the children and families in need of our support.
We match the sponsor to one of the young people referred to us and provide the sponsor with the age, size requirements and sex of the child. The sponsor then does the shopping and donates the required school items to us, so that we can pass them on directly to the family.
What kind of items do you need?
Every referral pack is different although most packs include skirts/trousers, polo shirts/shirts, a jacket, PE kit and footwear.
Do I have to buy it all?
No, not at all. We will provide you with details of what the child needs and you are welcome to provide all of the items or just a few – it is up to you! Please do not feel obliged to purchase everything on the list, we appreciate this is very costly.
We are grateful for all donations received. To spread the cost, you may want to think about sponsoring a child with family members or work colleagues.
Where do I drop the items off?
The items can be dropped off at our office during opening hours:
Dyrburgh House, Kirkton Campus, 3 Meikle Road, Livingston EH54 7DE.
We also have a small number of secure drop off points in the community although please let us know if you plan to drop off a uniform pack into a community collection point.
Where should I buy the clothes from?
Anywhere you want! Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Primark all have low cost items that can be bought locally. Online can be a great option as a fuller range of stock can be obtained. Remember to use Amazon Smile and Easyfundraising to help raise more funds for us!
How quickly do I have to provide the items?
Once you have been allocated a child to sponsor we ask if you could get the items to us within a month if possible. The summer is our busiest period of the year and we aim to get uniform packs to the child and family well before schools return. If you are having difficulty meeting this time frame, please get in touch.
What happens if I can’t get all the items?
Don’t worry! Just get what you can and we will provide the rest. Sometimes ordering online can be an easier option, as the shops don’t always have the sizes in stock.
I still have more questions who do I contact?
Please contact our admin team by email at admin@schoolbank-westlothian.org
Contact us to Sponsor a Child
Send us your message or enquiry and we will be in touch as soon as possible
Alternatively you can email us at admin@schoolbank-westlothian.org.
Wow. Just wow. I’m genuinely lost for words and have never seen my son and daughter so excited about school uniform before. Just receiving the bag of stuff ignited a liveliness in them that’s been absent for many recent months.
It always seems that teenagers get lost and forgotten about within donations and it means so much to us that consideration was given to them and not only that but that they received branded items.
Oh my life. Thank you thank you thank you. It could not have come at a better time and I hope the places that help out like this realise the difference that they make to people’s lives.
Winter Warmer Appeal
Our Winter Warmer Appeal is similar to our Sponsor A Child campaign and runs across November to January. As a sponsor, you are matched directly with a young person and are given the age, size and six of the child.
You then decide how much you want to spend and purchase a jacket and hat/gloves that you think would suit a child or teenager of that particular age. We prefer to give jackets that are dark and neutral in colour, e.g. black, grey, navy to keep with school colours.
Our feedback from referrers has commented on the positive difference a warm jacket makes to the children, especially in winter.
Many young people come to school wearing inappropriate clothing for the cold weather and a warm jacket allows them the opportunity to play outside in comfort.
A donation of a warm hat and gloves is also greatly appreciated.
Our winter warmer appeal has been a great initiative for the charity and we have been very grateful for the generosity of the community.
In 2021, we received 377 winter warmer packs, totalling £22,000.
