'Every child needs a school uniform but not every family can afford one' - Halifax hero nominated in national competition
A Halifax hero who set up a free school uniform service for families in Calderdale has been nominated in a national competition,
The BIG Christmas Giveback seeks to shine a light on the positive work happening in communities.
The person or organisation with the most nominations in the competition will win a £1000 Town & City Gift Card, such as the Discover Halifax Gift Card, with one person who nominated them winning a £500 gift card.
Debbie Pearson started the school uniform service at Halifax YMCA nine years ago.
What began as a small box of school clothing has expanded into over 20 rails and boxes of clothing, including every school in Calderdale at both primary and secondary level, and including items from blazers to tights, socks and shoes.
Over 6000 school uniform items were given out from July to October 2025.
Debbie said: “The idea for the service came about when a lady mentioned she needed sportswear for her child.
"It was a light bulb moment when I realised I could collect school uniform for sharing back to families that needed it in Halifax.
"We sort through the donations, families fill in a form detailing the child’s age and the school, and they receive the uniform they need for free. It saves some families up to £220 for a full uniform.
"Every child needs a school uniform but not every family can afford one.
“Being nominated in The BIG Christmas Giveback is brilliant as we do a lot of work with Halifax BID. We host a Christmas party each year with a small present for the kids.
"If we won the Discover Halifax Gift Card prize, we’d get a little something extra for the kids."
"We also have so many amazing volunteers here at Halifax YMCA, so it would be wonderful to be able to say thank you to them too.”
Halifax BID launched the Discover Halifax Gift Card in 2019 to lock spend into the town and encourage shopping.
The card can be spent with more than 110 local businesses.
Natalie Shaw from Halifax BID said: “Debbie has gone above and beyond in supporting families in our community, especially through her incredible initiative of setting up a school uniform shop for low-income families.
"Thanks to her efforts, countless children have been able to attend school with confidence, wearing clean, well-fitting uniforms that their parents might otherwise struggle to afford.”