A 10-year-old schoolboy from Northumberland is on a mission to save families money this Christmas and keep clothes out of landfill. Walter Pattison, from Riding Mill, near Hexham, has set himself the challenge of rehoming as many Christmas jumpers as possible by the first weekend of December through his 'Big Christmas Jumper Swap'.
Walter is encouraging people to donate their pre-loved festive knitwear for the challenge, which will help to raise money for Action for Children. He would love to see schools, Scouts, sports clubs, community groups, families and everyone else across the Tyne Valley get involved.
A school eco club idea grows bigger
After organising a successful swap at his school eco club last year, Walter decided he wanted to go even bigger and better. His aim is simple: to help local families save money, raise money for charity and reduce waste by giving Christmas jumpers a new lease of life.
Walter said: "Last year I organised a Christmas jumper swap for my school and we received loads of jumpers, which gave me the idea to make it much bigger this year. I’d love to rehome as many Christmas jumpers as possible rather than them being thrown away or forgotten about."
"There’s so much waste around Christmas time, so I’d like to do my bit to help the planet and raise money for Action for Children at the same time."
Community support and the scale of jumper waste
Anya Bonner, trustee at Riding Mill Parish Hall, added: "We were impressed by Walter’s idea and his ambition to make the Christmas jumper swap even bigger this year. We hope people across the Tyne Valley will get behind him by donating their unwanted Christmas or Winter jumpers and coming along to the swap event in December."
Around 12 million Christmas jumpers are bought in the UK every year. One in four (25%) of these jumpers are thrown away or discarded after being worn just once, meaning roughly three million Christmas jumpers are discarded annually after the festive season.
How to take part in the swap
Donations of pre-loved Christmas and Winter jumpers are being accepted throughout November at the Riding Mill Parish Hall jumper drop, at Riding Mill Parish Hall, Millfield Road, Northumberland NE44 6DJ. All ages and sizes for children and adults are welcome.
The Big Christmas Jumper Swap will take place on Sunday 6th December at Riding Mill Parish Hall from 10am – 2pm, where attendees can choose a new-to-you Christmas jumper for a donation. All funds raised from the Big Tyne Valley Christmas Jumper Swap will be shared between the local Parish and Walter’s chosen charity, Action for Children.
