A local community swap shop will be celebrating its first birthday this month with its biggest event yet – and everyone is invited.

Taking place on 11 March from 11am to 3pm at Honiton Community College, the Honiton Community Swap Shop's first birthday celebrations will see clothes of all types and sizes, school uniforms, toys and games, homemade cakes, and food items on offer, all completely free of charge.

The Swap Shop opened the doors to its first event in March 2022 with just four trestle tables of clothes. The aim was to prevent unwanted clothes being sent to landfill and to provide local people with clothing if finances were tight.

One year on, the February 2023 event saw Honiton Community College (HCC) drama hall packed with clothing, toys and bric-a-brac, as well as fresh food and cupboard essentials, and electricity key meter vouchers.

Now, organisers Lauren Passmore-Smart, mum-of-three and administration support at the College, and Jessie Hay, HCC Director of Finance and Resources, are planning a bumper event to celebrate one year of the community initiative.

Lauren said: "We've got exciting plans for the swap shop's first birthday, with our biggest selection of clothes yet including dressing-up costumes and school uniform, food from Honiton Foodsave and support from Citizens Advice. And of course, no birthday would be complete without cake and a bouncy castle!

"We're open to everyone, not just Honiton residents, and we want it to be as inclusive as possible. Donations are of course welcome, but people are equally free to come along and take whatever they need without something to swap, no questions asked.

"I'm thrilled this idea has taken off and is still going one year on. I'm so grateful to our wonderful volunteers and everyone who has attended or donated."

In addition to the items available to swap, cash donations are also welcomed on the day, raising money for the Honiton Community College hardship fund.

Clothing donations can be dropped at Honiton Community College's main hall from 10am, before the swap shop doors open at 11am.

Sheran Taylor, Operations Manager for Citizen's Advice East Devon, said: "The Swap Shop is now fundamental to clothing our community. Many of my clients visiting Citizens Advice ask when the next one is on, and there is a real excitement of knowing there is somewhere to go where they can choose something new to wear.

"I've seen children heading off with warm coats, Mums leaving with boots that don't have holes in, and everyone helping each other find the right sizes. There is always lots of joy and laughter and we have quite the fashion show in the corner!

"People attend for lots of reasons, but I know that there would be much more misery in our little town if it stopped."

The first swap shop in March 2022 was set up to support the Red Cross Ukraine appeal, raising an impressive £250. With clothes leftover from the event and buoyed by the positive feedback, Lauren decided to organise regular events.

"Although for the first few months the turnout was small, I was confident this could work, so I persisted!" Lauren added. "Our July event took place on Honiton Charter Day and that's when it really took off."

Swap Shop regular Victoria Honeyman added: "I have seen the Swap Shop grow from an idea to help the community into one of the most successful and popular community focused projects in Honiton.

"It is easy to see the benefit to the local community that the Swap Shop offers, not only by enabling people to recycle their disused clothes and items, but in a way that benefits those hit hardest by the current economic conditions. With the rise in living costs proving to be too much for many local families, I have heard patrons saying how crucial the Swap Shop is to clothe themselves and their children, particularly the uniform section.

"The other services, such as the Foodsave and Citizens Advice that also attend are crucial life lines for people who are struggling."