A Shropshire children’s charity is launching a back-to-school campaign to help families struggling with the rising costs of school uniform.

Little Stars Back-to-School Ready campaign is the charity's most recent effort to improve the lives of local children, with it recently being shown by the End Poverty campaign that 31 per cent of children in Ludlow are classed as living in poverty.

With summer passing quickly and a new school year on the horizon, Little Stars is launching its campaign, which will run throughout Shropshire, that “seeks to ensure that children in the county start school year with confidence”.

The dedicated children’s charity, which has supported over 2,190 children since 2020, plans to distribute uniforms through community hubs and referrals from schools and health care services.

The assistance the charity provides to local children is more crucial than ever, with the average cost of a secondary school uniform reaching £290. Although the average cost of primary school uniform was lower at £130, these mounting costs can leave many families in financial hardship.

The new campaign is launched after the charity saw a significant rise in the number of referrals it receives, with the first quarter of 2024 having doubled from the same period last year. Rates of poverty in Shropshire were also seen to be on the rise, with 32 per cent of children in the Shropshire living below the poverty line.

Donations of pre-loved uniforms, non-branded uniforms will be accepted at Tesco Extra’s in Shrewsbury, Ellesmere or Morrisons donation bins in Shrewsbury or Oswestry.