Partnership with Orchardville and ROC NI

 The Council's Recycling and Leisure teams have partnered with local charities Orchardville and ROC NI to support local people and families impacted by the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Winter Coat Project 2025/26

Partnership with Orchardville and ROC NI to facilitate collections of donated clean, pre-loved coats for children and adults.

We are thrilled that our Winter Coat Project 2025/26 was a great success! Thanks to the generosity and support of our local community, approximately 300 coats found new homes, ensuring that more people stay warm over the winter months.

A huge thank you to everyone in the community who donated, shared our social media posts or volunteered their time.

Together we are making sure no one gets left out in the cold.

School Uniform Project 2025

In Ards and North Down, 261 children benefitted from receiving pre-loved items of school uniform and stationery thanks to the School Uniform Project 2025. Council partnered with Orchardville and ROC Northern Ireland to deliver four pop-up events at Bangor City Church and Newtownards Salvation Army Hub in June and July.

Additionally, four tables of free toys were also given away to children attending these events. These toys were collected from the HRC Reuse containers and diverted from disposal. To complete the free service, a representative from Sustainable Stories Bangor attended the pop-up events with a sewing machine to make any minor alterations to uniforms for the children.

We are grateful to everyone who donated and who helped facilitate this worthwhile initiative.