Oldham, Greater Manchester - A coat drive that clothed more than 600 local children last winter is reopening its rails today, with organisers urging residents to “clear out the wardrobes” before the first frost.

Our Community Wardrobe and Oldham Family Hubs will collect clean, gently-used coats, hats, scarves and gloves at 14 drop-off points across the borough from Monday 16 October until Friday 10 November. Distribution to low-income families will begin on 20 November, two weeks before the meteorological start of winter.

“Last year we ran out of stock in ten days,” said Wardrobe co-founder Aisha Iqbal. “This time we’ve doubled our storage space at the Spindles Town Square, but we still need donations in children’s sizes 3-16 and adult small to extra-large.”

The appeal mirrors a national surge in clothing-bank use; the Trussell Trust reports 68 % of its food-bank visitors now also request warm clothing. Oldham Council data shows one in three children under fifteen in the borough live in low-income households.

Donations can be left at any Oldham library, the Positive Steps office on Union Street, or the Family Hubs in Coldhurst, Failsworth, Hollinwood, Medtia Square, Oldham Edge, Royton, and Werneth. Items must be freshly laundered; no school uniforms or knitwear with holes will be accepted.

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