The Cowshed is a Christian charity that provides clothing and other items for individuals and families in Berkshire experiencing hardship.

We offer our services to people from all faiths and none. We work in partnership with support services such as GPs, Health Visitors, Churches, charities and social service agencies who provide us with referrals.

We receive donations of new and pre-loved clothing, footwear, bedding, curtains and other items.The Cowshed prides itself on passing on items in great condition, washed and ironed ready to give to those referred to us. We want anyone who receives items from the Cowshed to feel they are receiving a gift and not a handout. All donated clothing we receive is used for our clients or repurposed/recycled by our craft group.

What do we do? 

First Days reduces the long term effect of poverty on children by equipping them with the essential items they need for their early years and at school.

We believe children should be safe in their home and out and about, be confident in school and have fun!

We help facilitate that. 

Why do we do it? 

Evidence from the Child Poverty Action Group shows that when children, in both their early years and at school, feel that they are equal to their peers they achieve more, do better in exams and can get better jobs. 

We know - as a small charity - we can’t change the root cause of the situations that families find themselves in, but we can help the children who are victims of a childhood in poverty to feel more equal to their peers. We believe that all children deserve the same start in life, and our part of that is ensuring they have everything they need materially. 

How do we do it?

Every year we reuse and recycle 40 tonnes of donated baby essentials, school uniforms, equipment, furniture and toys and get them to the people who need them the most.

Contact organisation directly to find out about opening times for donations and how to refer to the organisation, please visit website.

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What we do:

School Drive is a registered charity working with Berkshire schools to provide free school supplies and equipment (in particular, but not limited to, school uniforms, stationery, shoes, sports kit and bags) to school children aged 4-18 years whose families could not otherwise afford to provide through a lack of means.

We want all children to feel equal to their peers and equipped for their education, regardless of background, race, or religion, by providing them with everything they need to excel at school.

*Referral is via your child's school only*

Referrals from organisations predominantly based in Reading or West Berkshire will now be processed and put together at our new referral centre in Bennet Court.

"The Cowshed is a new charity which provides support to people of all backgrounds in a time of personal crisis. The aim of The Cowshed is to provide good quality cleaned and ironed clothes and other essentials free to anyone in need. The clothes are donated from the general public as well as retailers and manufacturers; they are then sorted, washed and ironed at our premises ready to be delivered or collected by social services, other health professionals or our clients. The idea is that our clients feel they are receiving a gift to assist them in a time of crisis rather than some old clothes that are over worn, marked or damaged.

THE HELP WE PROVIDE

We are privileged to have been able to support a variety of individuals of all ages in very different but difficult situations including those fleeing domestic abuse, individuals and families experiencing emergency rehousing, health issues resulting in poverty, the homeless, emergency custody situations, poor housing conditions to name but a few. All of these people are in our local community and required help with clothing, shoes, bedding, curtains and other essential items"