An Amnesty Suitable for Sharing

SUPPORT for Thrive’s Birmingham Suit Amnesty will help men and women who want to make a difference to their lives.

The initiative to provide suits to men and women looking for jobs, who may not be able to afford their own outfits, takes place on Friday, October 12th at the ICC.

The simple idea has evolved from a Thrive forum brain-storming session. Volunteers including Graham Nicoll, an associate director at Barclays Wealth, and corporate fundraiser Fidelis Hynam pledged to make the amnesty happen and other business people have now come on board.

One is Kate Bartram, who founded the washing and dry cleaning service Mailwash, based in the city’s Broadway Plaza in 2004.

The company is a perfect partner for the amnesty that is calling on people to donate suits that may no longer suit their style but could help someone else make the right impression.

Kate said: “What struck me about the Amnesty when I was first approached is how simple an idea it is, yet no one had ever thought about doing it before. There must be thousands of unwanted suits gathering dust in wardrobes all over the city, with thousands more people with not enough money to afford to buy one.

“Owning a good suit is something most of us take for granted, so to give young people a step closer towards getting on to the employment ladder is such a gift.

“Mailwash will be spending the week of the Amnesty rushing around the city collecting suits – male and female – from office premises. All those that are not in a fit state to be donated will be dry cleaned by us, free of charge, and sent on direct to a number of partner charities.”

She added: “Birmingham is a city that has been very kind to me, and to pass that on with an initiative like this is fantastic. To get involved in one of the city’s largest collective charity efforts is a privilege and I just hope the Suit Amnesty will go from strength to strength in years to come. Mailwash will certainly be delighted to be on board!”

Charities are finalising plans with the organisers to ensure the most appropriate suits are donated to each organisation.

Fidelis said since the idea was first discussed there was a clear understanding that the whole process had to be kept simple and straight forward.

She said: “The suit amnesty is just one part of the jigsaw. There is always a lot more people can do but we want to show how a simple idea can work in practice.

“We are hoping people will see the value in donating a suit that is still presentable and would make the right impression at an interview.”

People prepared to ‘champion’ the idea in their own firms are still coming forward and the hope is that others will get in touch to lend their support.

Anyone who can help support the Thrive suit amnesty should get in touch with graham.nicoll@barclays.com or contact Thrive writer Annie Roberts – annr@dircon.co.uk or 01536 263472.

Charities who want more information should contact Fidelis Hynam on 07739728566.