Jim Agnew Memorial Charity and Rotary Club of Aylsham Team Up with Coats4Kids

As winter approaches and families face the challenges of rising living costs, many lower-income households are grappling with the added burden of ensuring their children stay warm in the bitter cold.

Recognising the urgency of this situation, Aylsham Rotary took a proactive step to support the ‘Coats4Kids’ initiative, set up by another Rotary Club in East Anglia.  Its objective is to help primary-school children without winter coats as they are at a severe disadvantage compared to a child who has one – quite aside from the misery of being cold!  Schools do their best to help, and there are several initiatives offering second-hand coats to families who can’t afford new ones.  But children can be very cruel, and an identifiable ‘charity’ coat may single out a child for teasing and bullying.  Coats4Kids thinks this is unacceptable and are making available to children in need a new, high quality, branded coat with no indication of receiving charity.  Donating a coat via Coats4Kids couldn’t be easier:  simply purchase a voucher, which will be sent to a primary school in the selected area as schools know which of their families are most in need and will distribute them accordingly.  The vouchers are redeemable at a dedicated website and each will cover the cost of one coat, including delivery.

We are delighted to share that our club has made a meaningful contribution of £250, which will be utilised to purchase 10 coat vouchers.  These vouchers will directly benefit children in need attending Aylsham primary schools, ensuring they have the essential winter protection.

But this was only the tip of the iceberg!  The Jim Agnew Memorial Charity realised that there was scope for a three-way partnership between schools, Coats4Kids and the Charity: schools would identify the need, the Charity could provide the funding to purchase the vouchers which families could then exchange with Coats4Kids.  We wrote to all primary schools in Broadland, North Norfolk and Great Yarmouth offering to fund these vouchers and 24 schools took us up on the offer.  Altogether we have funded 321 coats for primary school pupils at a total cost to our charity of £8,025.  Moreover, we have had some excellent feedback from the schools and from parents and here are just some of the comments that we have received:

“The vouchers went down so well with our families and the children have been coming in and showing them to me.”

“This came at just the right time as my daughters coat is too small and I was worried about buying a new one.”

“The coats are amazing and have such good quality, thank you all so much.”

“One less worry for this winter, thank you.”

For those unfamiliar with the backstory, Jim Agnew was a beloved member of Aylsham Rotary for many years.  His enduring legacy includes a generous gift in his will, which led to the establishment of the Jim Agnew Memorial Charity.  This charity aims to honour Jim’s memory by directing funds to local initiatives, with the current focus on ensuring children in our community are equipped with the winter essentials they need.

As we move forward with this initiative, we express our gratitude to everyone involved, from our club members to the trustees of the Jim Agnew Memorial Charity and the participating schools.  Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of children facing the harsh realities of winter in challenging economic times.

About the Rotary Club of Aylsham

• Helping the local community since 1953
• Funding and supporting local people and organisations
• Supporting countries around the world
• Providing networking and fellowship opportunities locally
• Part of a world-wide network of 1.2 million of volunteers
• With its partners has achieved a 99% reduction in polio since 1988

About the Jim Agnew Memorial Charity

• Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as charity number 1195922
• Patron is The Lady Dannatt, Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk
• It helps children and young people by providing financial assistance to enable them to develop their skills and capabilities, participate in society and to be independent, mature and responsible individuals
• It supports children and young people in the Broadland, North Norfolk and Great Yarmouth areas

For more information visit:

• Rotary Club of Aylsham: www.aylshamrotary.org.uk
• Jim Agnew Memorial Charity: https://www.jimagnewcharity.org/
• Coats4Kids: www.rotaryeclub1070.org