Are you looking for ways to support the children of families involved in the UK fashion and textile industry?

Our charity partner, the Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust (FTCT), provides grants to families facing financial instability. There are several ways you can get involved, including through promoting FTCT at your workplace, fundraisers and donations. Continue reading to find out more.

We are thrilled to celebrate the one-year anniversary of UKFT’s partnership with The Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust (FTCT). FTCT is the only organisation dedicated to supporting children from families working in the British fashion and textile industry. After having actively supported the Trust since 2010, UKFT named FTCT as its official charity partner in March 2023. Adam Mansell, CEO of UKFT, said:

“The Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust is a fantastic charity. They do amazing work with people in the fashion and textile sector. As life gets harder for some, we are proud to have partnered with FTCT to help the children of those who have been part of our industry.” 

Financial difficulties can happen suddenly and bring families into a period of financial instability. “That’s when the FTCT can really help, providing parents with a lifeline through grants for children’s essentials,” said Anna Pangbourne, CEO of FTCT. She continued: “It doesn’t matter the size of your company, whether you have two employees or two hundred, promoting FTCT within your workplace holds huge benefits to industry families.”

Promote FTCT at your workplace

Promoting FTCT within your workplace can be highly beneficial to industry families, as it can help bring awareness to the grant opportunities available to those in need. The promotion can take the shape of flyers posted on your noticeboards or a multi-site campaign. FTCT is currently working with several UKFT members, including ACS Clothing, LLUK and The Textile Centre of Excellence (TCoE).

To start promoting FTCT at your workplace, contact FTCT CEO Anna Pangbourne at anna@ftct.org.uk

 GET INVOLVED

Apply for a grant

The Trust helps parents who are facing financial hardship due to sudden loss of income, challenging circumstances at home or ongoing health issues.

Grant criteria:

• Parents or carers of children (aged 0- 18 years)
• Who work OR have worked in the UK fashion and textile industry for at least one year within the last nine years
• AND meet FTCT’s financial hardship criteria (as detailed here)

*When applying for an FTCT grant, parents will be asked to share details of their home and financial situation and supply documents to support their application.

The FTCT can consider grant applications for items including:

• Children’s clothing
• Children’s bedroom furniture
• Essential appliances, washing machine, fridge, oven
• Mobility equipment
• Sensory Toys
• Therapies

The FTCT offer a totally confidential service for employees and does not share any application information with employers.

For more information on grants or on how to get involved, click on the link below:

FASHION & TEXTILE CHILDREN’S TRUST WEBSITE