Graduates urge people to declutter wardrobe in support of NHS stuff
Sally Patterson and Lucy Clumpas set up Closet19 calling for the community to donate second-hand clothes to fundraise for health workers
Recent Jewish graduates were this week behind an innovative new fundraising initiative to support NHS staff through the pandemic, launching a website whereby good quality second-hand clothes donations are sold to raise money.
London-based Sally Patterson and Glaswegian Lucy Clumpas, who are both Jewish, teamed up with friend Bella Stratton to launch Closet19, an online platform which “encourages people to declutter their wardrobes and support the NHS”.
Users upload their unwanted, good quality clothing items and others buy them, with the payment going straight to NHS Charities Together, resulting in what the trio said was “a win-win for sellers and buyers,” as well as helping the environment.
Using the online platform ShareTribe, the founders say lets people who are social distancing to contribute to the Covid-19 response effort.
“It’s really easy to feel helpless at the moment and not know how to help,” said Patterson, who set up her own feminist fashion line while studying at Bristol. “This lets anyone sitting at home contribute, simply by clearing out their wardrobe.”
Clumpas said: “I’ve used clothing re-selling sites ever since I delved into the murky world of fast fashion. Even in this time of crisis this industry shows no signs of slowing down. Closet19 is a guilt free way for people across the UK to get their shopping-fix ethically all whilst raising money for an important cause.”
A very exciting marketplace JUST around the corner ????#DressfortheNHS #Closet19 pic.twitter.com/XObEEWaAVw
— Closet19 (@_Closet19) April 25, 2020
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
