‘We’ve seen things surface on Facebook Marketplace’ – Tommy Coyle on the free school uniforms he donates being sold on

Hull’s Tommy Coyle, who uses his charity foundation to help hard-pressed local families with school uniforms, has spoken about the measures that were put in place after the clothing “surfaced online”.

The former boxer was carrying out his annual school uniform giveaway at Bransholme yesterday (Wednesday, August 21). In an interview with BBC Radio Humberside, Tommy said: “I want these uniforms to go to the right people.

“In years gone by, because I’ve left the tags on everything, we have seen things surface online, on Facebook Market[place] and the event’s not really about that. It’s about getting the right people in and kitting them out.”

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The Tommy Coyle Foundation has been carrying out the kind gesture for five years. Tommy said: “Covid was really hard for everybody and then having to get kids back to school, and people may have lost their jobs, and they really struggled.

“It was kind of born out of that and then demand grew year on year and we’re five years deep now. I just want to try and help out where I can.

“But it’s not just me. Companies have got on board now and helped us make it as big as what it is today.

“Friends from Reach Recruitment have helped do it a bit different this year. You can fill out a clothing card - you will give the clothing card to us, one of the guys that are helping - and then we will pack all your school uniform into a drawstring bag which, again, the kids can use for PE kits and such, and then we’ll just hand it over.

“This year, because we have had help from people like MKM and TransWaste Recycling and Reach, we have been able to buy so much more gear and I think it’s about time we got a bit more organised and regimented with it.” Describing the cost of school uniform as “absolutely mental”, Tommy agreed they did not want people coming along and abusing the system.

He said: “We genuinely want to help out the people what need a bit of help, it’s a stress. We want to help out where we can.

“We worked it out and we’ve spent £40 per child this year and I think we’ve got just over 2,000 uniforms.”