Together for sport - donation campaign

For us at Zero Waste Leeds, the most interesting part of waste reduction isn’t recycling - even though that’s an important part of the picture. We’re interested most in reuse - and in particular how we can encourage more sharing of stuff in our city. Joining the dots between people who’ve got things they no longer need, and people who need those things.

It’s often called the sharing economy.  We also talk about a generous city.  Helping to make Leeds a more generous city, where it’s easy to share what we no longer need, is one of the main reasons we do what we do.

We’ve all seen the success of this approach through Leeds School Uniform Exchange.  It’s easier than ever to offer - and ask for - free, good quality second hand school uniform.  This saves people money - and cuts down on textile waste - as good quality uniform stays in use for longer, rather than being thrown away.

And now we’re doing the same with sports kit.  Through Together For Sport, we’re making it easy for people to share sports kit - whether that’s football boots, running shoes or cricket bats.

We know how much good it can do us to get outdoors and get active.  But sometimes the cost of kit can be a barrier to getting involved.  That’s where Together For Sport - and the people of Leeds - can help.

For three weeks from the 6th June, we will be working with partners across the city to create donation points at five leisure centres (Wetherby, Holt Park, Fearnville, Garforth, Morley) in Leeds. During this time, people will be able to donate sports kit and equipment knowing it will be distributed to the people that will benefit from it the most.

In the meantime, we’re working on an interactive map that lists all the clubs in Leeds that share sports kit or has a sport kit exchange already in place. But we need your help to populate this map. Please get in touch if your sports club shares excess or unwanted kit so that we can add them to the map.

The #TogetherForSport map will make it easier for families in Leeds to find the kit needed to either to get started in a new sport, or to get the next size up when the current kit no longer fits.

If you're not sure if your club does have a sports kit exchange, please do ask them and if they don't - we'd be happy to help them set one up - it really isn't difficult to do. Drop us a line on info@zerowasteleeds.org.uk for more info. Help us to help others and let's get sharing sports kit across Leeds.

You can also get involved by joining our Leeds Together for Sport Facebook group where you can start donating, swapping and exchanging.