Guide To: Swishing. Why swish?

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Guide To: Swishing. Why swish?"

Howard Wilcox
5 years ago
Views:

1 Swishing is a fun and easy way to clear out your wardrobe and get a brand new one, for little to no cost what so ever! Textiles make up around 3% of the average household bin in the UK, by reusing our clothing we re saving the environment and our own money at the same time!

2 Why swish? It saves you money! Swishing is free. Save yourself pounds by reusing others once-loved items. It s sociable! Swishing events are perfect for getting together friends and family, or even bringing together the community. It s environmentally friendly! Whenever new clothing is made, valuable resources and energy are used, and when we throw away these clothes, these resources become waste and can release harmful gases like methane. By reusing our clothes we can reduce our environmental impacts. 1. Venue First and foremost, you need to find somewhere to hold your swishing party! Your home is perfect if you re just inviting a few friends, but if there s lots of people coming you might want to look into hiring out a local hall. Maybe you could contact your local pub owners and hold the event there!

3 2. Date & time Next you need to decide on a date and time. When you choose to hold the event will probably depend on who you re inviting. Think about when most people are free perhaps a weekend or one weekday after work? 3. Helpers Depending on the size of your swishing party, you might need some helpers! Rope in some friends and family, or maybe contact a local volunteer or community group. 4. Promote This is the most important stage! Promote the event all you can. Share by: Word of mouth, Social media such as tweets or Facebook statuses/events Posters. Find a pre-made one at the end of this pack! Get into contact with your local newsletter to get a feature or to appear on the What s on guide Reach out to local radio stations or Newspapers Promote the event via your local Freecycle / Freegle group Contact us at waste.management@suffolk.gov.uk and we can help spread the word! Make sure everybody knows when and where the party is and what they need to do.

4 5. The Rules How you hold the swish is completely up to you but it can be handy to have a few rules to go by. Try these All clothing must be in good condition Every guest must bring at least one item of clothing/shoes/accessory in order to take something away No underwear 6. The event On the day of the event, it might be helpful to get together all the items a day or a few hours before. Advertise this drop off time to make sure you have time to fully set up. During this time, you could hand out tickets or sign up on a register to allow the people who donate to be able to take something home later! When displaying the items, you can choose whether to order them in size or type depending on what and how much you have. If you can, create a make-shift changing room for shoppers to try on things. Operate on a first come first serve basis.

5 7. After the event When the event s finished, hopefully you won t have too many items left over. With those that are left, please do not throw them away! You could keep hold of them for another event, or you could donate to a local charity shop. Any items that aren t suitable for charity, take them to your local textiles bank or Recycling Centre to be recycled.

6 8. Alternative systems There are lots of ways you could carry out your swishing event. If it s a small event, the way stated in this guide is probably best that every guest brings one item in order to take home as many others they want. Another way is by handing out tokens each guest gets a token for every item they bring in. This token can then be used to take something else home. This could encourage guests to bring more items! There is always the issue of if somebody brings a designer item of much more value than the rest, so if you want you could carry out a token system whereby different tokens take up different values.

9. Other bits & tips Most swishing events are free although you may want to put up a small entry fee to cover the costs of venue hire and any other costs.

7 9. Other bits & tips Most swishing events are free although you may want to put up a small entry fee to cover the costs of venue hire and any other costs. Once in a while you might come across an unhappy swisher. Having some declaration forms could help prevent any issues. See our examples at the end of this pack. See if you can borrow any clothes rails and tables from guests. Local shops might be able to lend you some hangers! A risk assessment is recommended for this event and may also be required by your insurance policy. We have included a template risk assessment with this kit which should be completed prior to the day and monitored on the day in the case of new and unexpected hazards. If you re pregnant or you ve recently had a baby, how about getting together with other new mums and mums-to-be a spot of maternity swishing? Pregnancy clothes can be expensive and have such a short shelf life, so swishing is the perfect way to make them cost effective!

Come along and swap your clothes for FREE! Bring along one (or more!

8 Where: {insert venue} When: {insert date} Time: drop off:{insert time} shop:{insert time} Need a wardrobe revamp? Don t want to waste your money on new expensive clothes? Come along and swap your clothes for FREE! Bring along one (or more!) good condition item of clothing, shoes or accessory to be able to take home somebody else s old once loved treasures! X Please no underwear

9 Swishing Party declaration form: Givers Guide To: Swishing By signing this form I declare that the items I donate can be reused by someone else for free. Items Name Signature Date

10 Swishing party declaration form: Takers Guide To: Swishing By signing this form I declare that I take responsibility for the items I have taken from this event. The organisers take no responsibility for the conditions or operation of the items Items Name Signature Date

Risk Assessment Form Risk assessment conducted by: Date: Risk People may trip, slip or fall over items of clothing left on the floor People affected Likelihood (not likely, possible, very likely)

11 Risk Assessment Form Risk assessment conducted by: Date: Risk People may trip, slip or fall over items of clothing left on the floor People affected Likelihood (not likely, possible, very likely) Impact (low, medium, high) Risk response strategy Helpers, guests Possible Medium Ask helpers to check that all floor surfaces are clear of items throughout the event A clothing rail may fall over Helpers, guests Not likely Medium Ensure rails are secure and reasonably spaced apart Manual handling could result in injury Helpers Possible low Ensure all helpers have manual handling training Agreed and accepted by: Sign: Date:

12 Risk Assessment Form Risk assessment conducted by: Date: Risk People affected Likelihood (not likely, possible, very likely) Impact (low, medium, high) Risk response strategy Agreed and accepted by: Sign: Date:

SUPER SWISH. Why should I Super Swish? What is Super Swish?

SUPER SWISH. Why should I Super Swish? What is Super Swish? SUPER SWISH What is Super Swish? Super Swish is a chance for you to get together with friends, neighbours or colleagues and update your look by swapping clothes you no longer want for ones you do. Simply