Councillor Lee- Surginor supports work of Ethical Schoolwear for local schools
Rowallene Cllr David Lee-Surginor met with Liam Charlton-Killen of Ethical Schoolwear to support his work to create ethically and sustainably-sourced school uniforms for all our children.
Cllr Lee-Surginor said: ‘I was delighted to meet with Liam Charlton-Killen of Ethical Schoolwear last week and support the amazing work he is doing for our community.
“I fully support his ethos and sustainable approach to providing ethically sourced uniforms for children in our communities, and it was fantastic to learn more about his work, and to plant a tree with him at his fields outside Crossgar.
“Ethical Schoolwear is carbon neutral, and in addition supports offsetting carbon dioxide emissions by planting trees on the site – and is just another reason to support this local initiative.”
Cllr Lee-Surginor added: ‘I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of leading our children by example, and ethical sourcing is a fantastic way to do this.
“But it is also vital that goods remain affordable for families, particularly during the current cost of living crisis.
“No school should have expensive school uniform, and particularly for our local and rural schools across the district, rising costs of uniform must not be a barrier to education.
“I will continue to support Liam in his outreach to schools in the Downpatrick and Rowallane areas to find out if their uniforms are ethically sourced – and if not, to help give parents a choice in providing an additional option for their uniform.
“This is also a great opportunity for schools who are looking to achieve Eco-Schools Green Flag status to help make our world a more environmentally safe place.
“I am so happy to see that Cedar Integrated Primary School are on board, and I hope to see many other schools across the district follow them soon.”
Liam Charlton-Killen said: ‘“Since becoming a parent I’ve realised that I ask a lot of questions. Many of these questions have been about school uniform.
“Getting answers, and on occasion getting any response at all, has been difficult, so I decided to set up a shop myself.
“Ethical Schoolwear is for people like us who are trying to do the right thing. Parents should not be forced into a situation of exclusivity when sourcing their uniform, and competition is to be welcomed to help keep prices competitive for parents.
