Nearly 2,000 sport kits donated to make a change in communities

A pilot event held at John Charles Centre for Sport last week saw 1,890 pieces of sport kit donated, to tackle inequality in sports.

Organised by the Kit Equipment Exchange Partnership (KEEP), funded by Leeds City Council’s Active Leeds service, the event saw over 30 organisations attend to collect items.

The partnership distributes unwanted sports kit and equipment to people across the city who may not have access to or be able to afford it. Through removing the barrier, this ensures more people will have the opportunity to play sports and be physically active.

At last week’s event pieces were donated to primary and secondary schools, specialist inclusive learning centres, community organisations and parents who were attending a sports day at the centre.

The kit included sports tops and bottoms, jackets, trainers, sports bras and period pants and swimwear.

They will now support a wide range of people in Leeds, such as children and young people, looked after children, women and girls, LGBTQ+ groups, people attending substance misuse groups and people living in the most deprived areas.

It is also estimated that the event saved 831kg of equipment from going to waste and saved the council over £32,000.

KEEP is made up of several organisations including Active Leeds, Yorkshire Sport Foundation, Zero Waste Leeds, Leeds United Foundation, Action for Sport, Freedom4Girls and Run For All.

The partnership was recently nominated for a Compassionate City Award, which celebrate the positive and compassionate work individuals and organisations do to make a difference to their communities in Leeds. The awards will be held on November 6.

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