With news stories telling us that Christmas jumpers are bad for the environment, the Cleaner, Greener Alvechurch group offered a way for people to recycle their festive outfits.
“The Great Christmas Jumper Swap”, held at Alvechurch Library a month before Christmas, invited residents to donate jumpers and outfits to swap with others. Those who didn’t have anything to donate could buy themselves a jumper, with all proceeds going to The Lounge.
Villagers could also donate, swap or buy various other Christmas items such as spare crackers, cards, baubles and decorations. Leftover items were donated to charity.
Independent district councillor for Alvechurch Village, Kate Van der Plank, who founded the group with Alvechurch South councillor Annette English, said: “Christmas is an expensive time, especially for families – so the Jumper Swap was a great opportunity for people to save some money and have fun, while at the same time helping to reduce our environmental footprint.”
The aim of the group is to take practical action to improve the natural environment in the village and share ideas to help reduce environmental impact. Launched in July 2019, the group already has more than 230 members, and activities include litter picking, vegetable growing, and initiatives to reduce and reuse.
