A community pre-loved clothing sale hosted by Highland Well-Ness Collective and Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (RASASH) has raised over £4,000, with funds being split equally between the two Highland organisations.
Held at Inverness Town House on Saturday 26 September, the event brought together sustainable fashion, wellbeing and community fundraising as part of the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival, with hundreds of pre-loved items finding new homes and a queue forming outside before the doors even opened.
The Highlands & Islands Climate Festival celebrates localism and community-led climate action, encouraging communities to make sustainable choices and showcase the positive action already happening across the region. The pre-loved sale was a natural fit, bringing together reuse, local businesses, community connection and fundraising in one event.
The morning saw a busy mix of clothing rails, local makers, wellbeing businesses, information stands and fundraising activities, with visitors able to browse stalls from Wilde Workshops, Selkie Somatics, Tropic with Z, Sacred Ness, Prickly Thistle, Herring Girl Vintage and Abbi Bakes, alongside a community baking stall.
The event also featured a fundraising prize draw and information about the work of both organisations, giving visitors the opportunity to support local causes while shopping more sustainably.
This year marked the fourth pre-loved clothing sale, an initiative created by social enterprise Highland Well-Ness Collective, to turn community generosity and sustainable fashion into vital funds for local support services. This support has helped turn their goals of improving mental health and wellbeing through professional counselling, therapeutic activities, creative outlets and community projects through collaboration, connection and community, into a reality.
Since last year, the sale has grown into a collaboration with local charity RASASH, bringing the two organisations together to raise more for their work across Highland.
Laura Johnston-Scott, Highland Well-Ness Collective, said, “We’re absolutely delighted with how the day went and with the incredible support from our Highland community. It was fantastic to see so many people embrace pre-loved fashion, wellbeing and sustainability, while helping us raise over £4,000. Huge thanks to everyone who donated, volunteered, took part or came along on the day, and to Inverness Town House and Prickly Thistle for their support in making it happen.”
For RASASH, the fundraising will contribute towards its work providing specialist support to people affected by rape and sexual abuse across Highland, while the event also provided an opportunity to connect with the wider community.
Eilidh Little, Fundraising and Communications Lead at RASASH, said, “It was brilliant to see the community come together to support two local organisations, while giving hundreds of pre-loved pieces a new lease of life. We’re hugely grateful to everyone who donated, shopped, volunteered or helped spread the word. The funds raised will make a real difference to the work of both organisations, and we’re so proud of what we achieved together.”
The event was supported by Prickly Thistle, the lead sponsor, whose work championing sustainable textiles and responsible production aligned closely with the event’s focus on reuse and keeping clothing in circulation for longer.
Clare Campbell, Prickly Thistle, said, “We are just a little local Highland based maker and in our short journey as a business we have come to realise that the most important ‘paying it forward’ work we can do is right here at home. In a world where everyone wants to pull you in several directions, its movements like this that make us feel whole again – well done to every single person involved!”
The event also received funding support from the Highlands & Islands Climate Hub as part of the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival, helping to bring the event together and support its focus on reuse, sustainability and community action.