The serious side of our donation stations

When you walk past one of our Howden high street branches, you’ll often see a donation station inside. Supporting our local communities and giving back to clients and important causes is something we take great pride in doing.

Not only do we enjoying connecting with everyone who generously donates, but we also appreciate every single donation. Because each one, whether from a client, colleague or passer-by, has a huge impact.

We wanted to take some time to acknowledge the serious side of these initiatives, and to recognise what we can achieve with our Collective Power.

Levelling the playing field

We launched our first boot exchange back in spring 2023 at our Bromley branch, and since then it’s gone from strength to strength. Now, over 40 Howden branches host (or will soon be launching) boot exchanges – and we’ve swapped over 500 pairs of boots!

In the wake of the cost-of-living crisis, and recognising how quickly children outgrow their kit, many families can find these expenses difficult to manage. By creating a sustainable scheme for people to donate, swap or simply collect the items they need, completely free of charge, branch teams help make sure anyone who wants to play can get out on the pitch.

Sport is much more than throwing a ball; the social and physical benefits are endless, and for young players especially, it can give them the right tools to navigate adulthood. Training together forges friendships, strengthens communities, and helps talent shine – qualities that are vital on and off the pitch.

Howden Maidenhead’s boot exchange with Maidenhead United FC

And now, with The British & Irish Lions as our North Star, we can protect these values that bond and unite us and expand our work at this grassroots level even further, connecting with even more local clubs to help tackle inequalities in sport.

Fit for school success

While the summer holidays are for fun in the sun, there’s also the staple school uniform audit. After three terms of growth spurts, lost property and wear and tear on the playground, getting kitted out to go back to school can quickly add up.

Especially since prices have risen considerably. While the average cost of compulsory secondary school uniform and sportswear items has dropped by 25% since 2020 to £92.35 per pupil, that’s not a figure to sneeze at. In some cases, emblazoned uniforms or clothing from a specific shop are a requirement, but many parents also say they feel a social pressure to opt for these versions, even though they’re pricier.

Howden Shrewsbury’s uniform exchange (via Shropshire Star)

That’s why we hold uniform exchanges each summer, welcoming parents and children to our local branches to collect the school uniform supplies they need and donate any items they no longer have use for, for free. Some of the high-quality items available include school jumpers, shirts, skirts, and trousers, as well as shoes and PE kits, Girl Guiding and Scout uniforms in a wide range of sizes.

Not only does our uniform exchange promote sustainability, but it also helps boost children’s self-esteem and performance in school. 88% of pupils polled by the School Wear Association say that uniforms reduce visible inequalities and create a fairer school environment, while 67% of school leaders report a positive link between a defined uniform policy and improved school performance.

A novel idea

Following on from our boot and uniform exchanges, we’ve decided to turn a new page and launch book swaps across our branches!

Reading is an important skill to nurture in young people – there are well-documented associations between reading enjoyment, attainment and long-term outcomes in life. But just over 40% of children aged 8-18 say they enjoy reading in their free time; the lowest level since the National Literacy Trust first asked the question in 2005.

Accessing books can be a real challenge; more children who receive free school meals reported that they didn’t have a book of their own in 2023, compared to the prior year. More than 1 in 3 parents who were struggling financially said they had to buy fewer books for their children.

That’s why anyone who wants to donate, collect or exchange books from our branch bookcases can – all for free. We hope that this next chapter of our exchanges is a welcome addition in time for the summer holidays, helping to entertain children – and adults– alike, and keep up with reading practise while school’s out!

Care for a Cuppa?

Last year, our Howden Solihull branch launched our first donation station to help combat period poverty. More people than ever before in the UK are enduring period poverty, which refers to a lack of access to menstrual products, safe, hygienic spaces in which to use them due to financial constraints or availability, and the right to manage menstruation without shame.

Though it’s a global issue, here the cost-of-living crisis has had a severe impact. More than one in five people who menstruate in the UK are now struggling to afford period products (21%) up from 12% in just one year.

Plan International revealed almost a third of girls and young women aged between 14-21 are now struggling to afford period products. Eight in 10 were forced to use toilet paper, while around one in 10 resorted to newspaper or paper.

And so, working with award-winning social enterprise Gift Wellness, Howden Solihull started local campaign that meant anyone who donated pads, tampons, and other sanitary products received a free drink voucher to redeem at a local tea shop.

Period product donations at Howden Solihull

The Howden Solihull team with Dr. Zareen Roohi Ahmed, founder of Period Angels & founder & CEO of Gift Wellness Ltd

It’s important to highlight a problem that unfortunately still has a stigma or embarrassment surrounding it. And even though people may be surprised an insurance broker would be involved with this issue, but we feel that everyone has a right to access the right products and healthcare information they need, and no one should be held back because of their period.

We’re bringing our Care for a Cuppa to even more of our branches, so if you’re able to donate at your local branch, we’d love you to get involved with us!

Fighting food insecurity

In recent years, we’ve all seen the rise of food banks as the cost-of-living crisis took hold. More people than ever before rely on them in order to feed their families, which is a heart-breaking reality. Between April 2023-March 2024, food banks within the Trussell Trust network distributed 3.1 million emergency food parcels, and 655,000 people were using a food bank for the first time.

At Howden, we’re firm believers that no one deserves to go hungry. And people in the communities we serve have also proved committed to this goal.  

Our branch teams in Winchester, Bournemouth, Eastleigh, Sevenoaks, Chester, Loughborough and beyond have all been delighted with how everyone rallied to donate. It’s not just about food items – teams have also shared Easter Eggs, Christmas presents, and funds to help families enjoy excursions such as Marwell Zoo. Because it’s important that people have positive experiences together too, especially during the holidays.

In Thatcham, the team took their donation station to the next level, collecting over £1,000’s worth of groceries for West Berks Foodbank. Many people don’t realise that the school summer holidays can be just as difficult as the cold winter months. The team filled six trollies, to feed 555 local families – including 1,276 children – in need over the summer holidays.

And in Northampton, the community rallied to donate over 200 items for vulnerable young families at our baby bank, including bottles, formula, wipes, nappies and hand-knitted cardigans. We’re so grateful to everyone who has donated, as each has made a huge difference.

Empowering girls in sport

For women and girls, a sports bra is an essential piece of clothing for taking part in sport and exercise. Yet only a third of secondary school age girls wear a sports bra during PE, creating a negative impact on their experience of sport. 37% of those polled by Women in Sport said they didn’t own a sports bra, and 19% said sports bras were too expensive.

One of our more recent donation schemes aims to combat this issue for women and girls. Howden branches are offering new sports bras to anyone that needs one, completely free of charge.

There’s been huge progress for women’s sport recently with the Women’s Football World Cup and 50% athletes at the 2024 Olympics being female for the first time, which is just phenomenal to see. We’re passionate about ensuring this legacy of women’s sport continuing, and that happens on a community level, breaking down the barriers to entry and empowering more women and girls to engage with sport.

Using insurance as a Force For Good

As we’re committed to being a local high street broker, that means we’re committed to the communities we serve. When we say we care about you, our clients, and the causes that matter to you, we mean it.

We want to make insurance the powerful force for good we know it can be, embracing a no-limits approach to all that we do. And for every donation station that we run, we’re truly blown away by the local community, who never fail to get involved and support those in our society that need it the most. Together, we can help our high streets thrive and grassroots initiatives grow.

To find out more about what’s on, especially at a Howden branch near you take a look at our events page.

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Sources: National Literacy Trust, Schoolwear Association, Women in Sport, Action Aid, The Independent, Trussell Trust