Brownie and Rainbow Units in Gosport joined with Gosport Borough Council in a new and environmentally friendly project - designing a Clothing Bank.

Initiated by Project Integra, the collective name for Hampshire’s waste management strategy, in partnership with the Salvation Army, the campaign aims to provide a fun, exciting clothes bank to attract and encourage more people to recycle their old clothes.

The Salvation Army responds to many humanitarian requests for clothing from home and abroad and, from their recycling banks, sort and bale items ready for use wherever in the world they’re required. Unfortunately, their clothing banks are only operating at 25% capacity!

"There are so many uses for old clean discarded clothes so the challenge was to get more people to take part and recycle their clothes instead of throwing them out," said Angela West, Recycling Officer for Gosport Borough Council. "What better way, we thought, than to get youngsters interested in recycling by designing a bright new clothes bank, which then might then encourage more people to recycle."

"We had a lot of entries from the local Brownie and Rainbow groups but the overall winner was Kristy Allen of the 2^nd Hardway Rainbows, a new unit which only started in September last year, so the £50 prize money I’m sure will come in very useful."

The new bank has been placed in the Car Park at Green Lane at Hardway Gosport alongside the existing bottle, can and paper banks.

Much as the Salvation Army needs good clothes to send to those desperately in need, other worn or torn clothes, providing they are clean, can also be utilised. These are used as industrial cleaning cloths, or shredded and used as mattress filler or for the lining in cars, there is a practical use for most clean materials. Despite their many uses, old clothes still find their way into the dustbin, ending up in a landfill site, damaging the environment. Remember bank don’t bin!!!

All designs entered in the competition, including the winner, are on display in the reception area of the Town Hall at Gosport Borough Council.

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