Every child deserves the warmth and comfort of a winter coat
Raising Funds
Every penny raised goes directly towards our cause
– providing coats for children
Coats4Kids relies on the generosity of Rotary Clubs, organisations, individuals, and supportive grants. Every £25 we raise covers all the costs of acquiring and delivering a winter coat to a child in need.
We also seek support from charitable grants, sponsorships, and contributions from grant-giving bodies, public authorities,
and commercial enterprises.
As a charitable organisation, we take pride in being entirely powered
by the dedication and effort of our volunteers.
None of our team members receive financial compensation.
Distributing Coats
Coats4Kids uses a simple and effective method to get
coats to the children who need them:
- We provide vouchers to primary schools, who then pass them on to the families of children in their community who require a coat.
- These vouchers can be easily redeemed at our online shop, where families can choose from a variety of coat styles, sizes,
and colours that best suit their child’s needs. - Supporters have the option to specify where they would like their vouchers to be sent, ensuring their support directly benefits the children they wish to help.
Acquiring Quality Coats
Coats4Kids has established purchasing agreements with manufacturers and distributors, allowing us to procure coats directly at or below wholesale prices.
Currently, we offer a range of high-quality, waterproof, and insulated coats from reputable brands like Result and Regatta. All our coats come equipped with integral hoods for added warmth and protection.
Ensuring Anonymity
To safeguard against potential bullying or stigma, our coats bear no indication that Coats4Kids have provided them. This ensures that every child receiving a coat can enjoy the warmth, dignity, and confidence it gives without fear of judgement or discrimination.
With this collaborative approach, Coats4Kids strives to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children in need, ensuring they are well-prepared to face the challenges of winter while fostering a sense of dignity and belonging within their communities.
Engaging With Schools
Our partnership with schools is founded on a mutual commitment to the well-being and dignity of the children we serve. By working together, we can ensure that every child can stay warm during the winter months without feeling singled out or stigmatised.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Coats4Kids supplies vouchers preferentially to the schools nominated by our donors.
- Coats4Kids operates across England, Scotland and Wales — currently supporting schools in 79+ local authority areas. Use our Schools Finder at schoolsfinder.coats4kids.org.uk to find schools near you
1. If you are a Rotarian:
- Get a Coats4Kids speaker to your Club.
- Talk to your local primary schools to gauge their level of need
- Seek sponsorship
- Buy vouchers
- Spread the word
2. If you are a business:
- Speak to your local Rotary Club, or contact Coats4Kids direct
- Donate direct to us, or sponsor your local Rotary Club’s Coats4Kids fundraising (eg – match-funding).
3. If you are a charity:
- Give grants to Coats4Kids to support our efforts!
4. If you are an individual that would like to help
- You can make a gift by clicking here. Thank you for your generosity. Every penny helps
- Coats4Kids asks schools to identify those children aged 4-11 whose family circumstances mean they have no winter coat (schools are usually only too well aware of who those children are!), and let us know how may coats they need. We do not see any details of individual children.
- We will send the school as many vouchers as needed to fulfil that need, within the constraints of our available funding, and ask that they be given to the families of those children previously identified (not to the children themselves).
- We DO NOT ask schools to be involved in ordering, storing or distributing coats. As well as avoiding those additional burdens on already overworked school staff, this reduces any chance of the coats being identified by the children as provided through charity.
- Our objective is to make it as easy as possible to receive a Coats4Kids coat, and to avoid placing any additional burden on the family or the school.
- Coats4Kids want to be sure that the children we help receive only a top quality garment – one that will last and continue to keep a child warm in future years, even after its first wearer has grown out of it.
- There are already a number of initiatives to collect and distribute secondhand coats, to both children and adults. However, children’s coats seem to be in fairly short supply.
- Children living in poverty or destitution may never have had any new clothing. A smart, warm, new winter coat can work wonders for a child’s mental health, confidence, and self-esteem – a fact the schools we work with readily confirm.
- According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 4.2 million children in the UK – almost 1 in 3 of all primary school children – come from families classed as in poverty. Over a million children come from families classed as destitute – ie, they are unable to pay for even the basics – to eat, to keep warm, to keep a roof over their head and to clothe themselves.
- Keeping warm in winter is critical for a child’s health, wellbeing, education and physical development.
- Children can’t learn if they are cold.
- A warm winter coat is essential for children to be able to play outside in winter, as well as keeping them warm on their journey between home and school.
But it’s more than physical warmth. Schools consistently tell us that a child who arrives cold or without a suitable coat is less settled, less confident, and less ready to engage in lessons. A coat removes one visible, addressable barrier to learning.
- Coats4Kids provides coats for children aged between 4 and 11 years. Those in need of coats are identified by their Primary schools – who are usually only too well aware of the circumstances of their pupils. In general, recipients would already qualify for the Pupil Premium
- Coats4Kids is supported by Rotary Clubs, individuals, businesses, and other charitable organisations. We welcome donations of any sort or size from any legal source.
- Coats4Kids is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity #1204093) registered with the Charity Commission. We began in 2021 as a project of the Rotary E-Club of District 1070, but formed an independent CIO in early 2023 to be better able to pursue our goals. Our Trustees are currently all Rotarians, and we conform to the Rotary codes of standards and ethics.
- Coats4Kids is a charity derived from a charitable project of the Rotary E-Club of District 1070. Coats4Kids raises money to buy new winter coats for primary school children whose families cannot afford to provide one.
