A project has been launched in Peterhead which sets out to promote sustainability and improve access to sport and physical activity for young people.
"Many of us are trying to be a little ‘greener’ by reducing the impact we have on the environment, one way of achieving this is by cutting back on the amount of waste we produce and this was one of the three main objectives when launching the Peterhead Sports Kit for All initiative" says Audra Booth, Community Sports Hub Officer, Live Life Aberdeenshire.
Aims of the project
The aim of the Peterhead Sports Kit for All project is to provide young people who would otherwise not be able to take part in sport, the opportunity to do so while also reducing the waste and environmental impact from unused clothes being discarded, by encouraging re-use and recycling.
Launched in January 2022, the initiative has been a great success so far, with 'drop boxes' situated throughout the town for members of the community to deposit their donations.
Drop box locations can be found at the Peterhead Football Club, The Buchan Giving Tree, Peterhead Leisure & Community Centre, Clerkhill Primary School, and the Astro. The clothing and footwear are then distributed by professional staff to be reused by young people in the area who will benefit from it the most.
Community partnerships and local support
Peterhead Football Club have provided a storage area where professional staff and sports club coaches can access and distribute the kit. The project also benefits from the support of PACT and Active Schools who work with the local community groups and schools.
Audra Booth, Community Sports Hub Officer, Live Life Aberdeenshire tells us that the community response to the project has been fantastic, so much so that the club are now looking to obtain a porta-cabin due to the amount of donations they’ve received.
Nat Porter, Community Liaison Officer at Peterhead FC, said “The response has been overwhelming, the community have really supported the project by donating their unwanted items rather than throwing them away”.
The bigger picture
Binned clothes fill up landfill sites and harm the environment through the emission of greenhouse gases. Zero Waste Scotland showed that 32% of Scotland’s carbon impact comes from textiles. By recycling sports kit through projects like Peterhead Sports Kit for All, not only is the effect on the environment being reduced, but it is also providing valuable resource to young people within our communities.
