Brightly Software Partner to Support Local Families Through School Uniform Donations

At Brightly Software, a Siemens company, we believe in giving back to the communities we serve. As part of our contracts with local councils and the Social Value Model, we reinvest a percentage of our revenue into the local area, supporting initiatives that promote community wellbeing, environmental sustainability, economic inclusion, education and skills, and social cohesion. 

We have pledged a total donation of £28,000 over 5 years to the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank charity as part of our Social Value contributions. This organisation was chosen by the Council for its vital role in supporting children and families across the city, helping to ensure that every child has access to appropriate school clothing. 

Founded in 2015 by a small group of friends who wanted to make a difference in their community, Edinburgh School Uniform Bank believes that every child deserves to look and feel smart at school, to feel that they belong, and to avoid the negative effects of hardship on their wellbeing and education. 

“It's been amazing but in a very sad way, in that the need is enormous. Recently a boy came to a member of staff at his school and burst into tears – he said his feet were so cold they were purple, he didn’t have any socks. He was given a pair of socks to put on straight away and a pack to take home with him.” — Julia Grindley, Trustee at Edinburgh School Uniform Bank 

The charity provides Clothing Crisis Packs to children and young people in need across all 124 state schools in Edinburgh as well as supporting individual schools with on-site supplies of new uniform and footwear that is provided free to families. The charity is currently embedded in around 20 schools, focusing on areas where families’ needs are highest. 

“In terms of our in-school uniform banks, we are at our capacity at the minute, and the limiting factor is staff time,” says Julia, who continues, “In our latest annual report, we estimated that around 4,000 children benefited from our support in the last financial year.” With Brightly’s donation, the charity hopes to continue purchasing and distributing uniforms to families in need, and to expand its services to reach even more schools and children across Edinburgh.