In a shocking twist that will surprise absolutely no one who has ever tried to clothe a child for school, a charity scheme in Coventry has been rescuing families from the financial sinkhole that is the school uniform industry. Clothing Coventry, a charity with a name that leaves little to the imagination, ran uniform events over three weeks this summer, providing pre-loved and donated clothing for free. The result? Families saved an average of £69 per child, which is roughly the cost of one blazer and a pack of logoed socks, if you're lucky.

Katie Wilson, the CEO of Clothing Coventry, stated the obvious with a sigh: the average cost of a school uniform is an eye-watering £249.58 per child, and that 'remains a real challenge' for many families. To combat this, the charity has helped more than 2,700 children prepare for the new school year, distributing a staggering 15,005 uniform items. That's enough to clothe a small army, or at least a few year groups.

But wait, there's more! Alongside the donated and pre-loved items, the charity also supplied 4,659 brand-new items to 2,142 children. For those keeping score, that's a lot of new pants and polo shirts. And for the truly unfortunate 60 families who couldn't get a blazer for their child's specific school, the charity handed out £30 uniform vouchers. Because nothing says 'we care' like a voucher that might not even cover the cost of a single blazer.

Wilson noted that blazers and logoed PE kits were among the most requested items, which is about as surprising as finding out that water is wet. Despite additional purchases and generous donations, demand outstripped supply in some cases. 'We could have given out probably 600 blazers if we had them,' Wilson told BBC CWR, 'we didn't have enough to help everyone who came.' The hope, she said, is to help everyone with 'a little bit of something' - which, in charity speak, translates to 'we do our best, but the system is fundamentally broken.'

The programme, now in its fourth year, is supported by Coventry Building Society, which presumably has a vested interest in families not being financially ruined by school uniforms. Wilson proudly declared that 'no family who attended our events left empty-handed,' which is a low bar, but we'll take it.

One parent, who clearly has their hands full, shared their story: 'As a family with eight children and a very limited income, getting school uniforms for all our children was a big worry for us.' Eight children! That's a lot of uniforms, and a lot of stress. The support, they said, 'made a huge difference and took away a lot of financial stress,' ensuring their children could go back to school looking like they belong, rather than like they raided a lost-and-found bin.

Clothing Coventry will reopen for school uniform requests on 14 September, and families can access uniform support throughout the year, not just during the summer holidays. Because, as we all know, children grow at inconvenient times, and school uniforms are a year-round nightmare.

So, kudos to Clothing Coventry and their volunteers for doing the Lord's work. And to the school uniform industry: maybe consider not charging £250 for a few pieces of fabric with a logo on it? Just a thought.