Blog

February 2019

On Friday (22^nd February), Gavin Shuker MP visited Level Trust, to hear how we tackle child poverty in our town.

1 in 3 children in Luton live in poverty. This means that they often have to go to school wearing shoes that don’t fit, with no winter coat, or with the wrong school uniform. Often they don’t have the things they need for homework and in the holidays they don’t get the chance to do fun and exciting things.

Christian Iszchak, Operations Director for Level Trust, said, “A child’s time in education has a lasting impact. Good or bad, it affects the rest of their life. Going without simple things like uniform or proper school shoes has a far-reaching impact on a child or young person. Itmeans they’re likely to be bullied, removed from lessons, or even truant. They feel self-conscious, embarrassed and worried about being told off, which damages their happiness, confidence and ability to concentrate in lessons.”

Mr Shuker was involved with the creation of Level Trust in 2013, when a group of local volunteers decided to do something to help the thousands of children affected by poverty in Luton. He has remained committed to helping to improve Luton children’s experience of education, giving them a level chance in school and beyond.

Watch this short video of Mr Shuker’s visit:

It’s #SmallCharityWeek and a great time to highlight the outstanding work of the @LevelTrust Uniform Exchange in Luton’s Mall. A fantastic charity doing excellent work to try and level the playing field for kids in our schools. pic.twitter.com/Igoh8z4koo

— Gavin Shuker MP (@gavinshuker) June 18, 2019

Thanks to recent grants from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Aviva Community Fund, Level Trust’s Uniform Exchange can help even more families. It is now open on Saturdays (10am-2pm) as well as Tuesdays (12-4pm), Wednesdays (9am-1pm), Thursdays (12-4pm) and Fridays (9am-1pm). The Uniform Exchange is open to any family – just bring school uniform you’ve finished with and swap it for items you need.