Recycling Week: How the Community Kit Room is Changing Lives in Blaenau Gwent
Recycling Week 2025 runs from today, 22nd September, until 28th September, and this year we’re shining a light on how recycling can go beyond household waste to create real change in our communities.
At Aneurin Leisure Trust, that’s exactly what the Community Kit Room (CKR) has been doing since it first launched in February 2023. What began with a single CKR in Abertillery has now grown into three CKRs across all of our sports centres, helping people stay active, protecting the environment, and bringing our communities together.
How It’s Going So Far
Since February 2023, the CKR has supported 546 people – both children and adults, with 1,215 items of sportswear sourced out to members of our communities across Blaenau Gwent. There is no charge for any sportswear item, regardless of brand or condition, whether it’s brand new or pre-loved, ensuring everyone can access the kit they need to take part in sport and physical activity.
This year, we began weighing donations to measure the environmental benefit of the project. The results are already inspiring: 366.5kg of sportswear has been recycled and reused, preventing items from going to waste and giving them a second life in our community.
More Than Recycling
The CKR is about so much more than reusing sports kit. It’s about supporting people when they need it most and breaking down barriers to sport and wellbeing:
Families donate, swap, and share, often exchanging items for bigger sizes or donating what their children have outgrown.
Children starting new hobbies or sports can access the CKR to get the correct and most suitable sportswear to try out activities before fully committing, with the option to keep the items completely free of charge.
The CKR has also supported those who have unfortunately lost their jobs, providing sportswear and clothing to help them manage everyday life and stay active and engaged.
We’ve also supported people experiencing adult homelessness and youth homelessness, offering practical items to help with everyday life and challenges.
The CKR has stepped in during last-minute panic moments, whether it’s finding a pair of football boots that broke in training, a forgotten swimming costume, or a bike helmet, ensuring no one misses out on taking part.
Strong partnerships with organisations such as Families First, Social Services, Youth Services, Tai Calon Community Housing, Mountain Fuel, and StreetGames Wales have made the CKR even more impactful, reaching children, adults, and families right across Blaenau Gwent.
Adam Hughes, Community Engagement Officer for Aneurin Leisure Trust and facilitator of the CKR initiative, said:
"The Community Kit Room is about so much more than sports kit – it’s about giving people the opportunity to get involved in sport, stay active, and feel part of their community. Every donation, swap, or smile we see reminds us why this initiative is so important, and we’re proud to work with local families, schools, businesses, and partners to make sport accessible for all."
Vast Support Across the Community
The success of the CKR has been strengthened by the fantastic support of the Blaenau Gwent Waste and Recycling Team. Their input has made a huge difference in several ways:
Donation bins have been rolled out to a wide range of local sports clubs and community houses, making it easier than ever for people to donate their unwanted sportswear.
A recycling bin is also available at The Den’s Recycling Centre, Roseheyworth, Abertillery, providing an additional convenient location for community donations.
Enabling a CKR to be made available to the Blaenau Gwent community at Ebbw Vale Sports Centre, ensuring greater accessibility for everyone across the borough.
Across all CKRs, there has also been amazing community support in the form of donated offcuts of 3G and flooring, helping each CKR look and feel welcoming, while highlighting the recycling of materials. Blaina Laundrette continues to support the initiative by washing every donation that comes through, maintaining a cleanliness guarantee for every item.
Robert Lewis, Assistant Team Leader of Blaenau Gwent’s Waste and Recycling Team, added:
"Supporting the Community Kit Room has been a fantastic way to see recycling and the reuse of sportswear items to make a real difference locally. By providing donation bins and helping to make kit accessible, we’re not just reducing waste – we’re helping people stay active, healthy, and connected to their communities."
The CKR has also received support from many companies and businesses, even as far as Cardiff, who have run sporting campaigns for their staff and then donated unwanted sports items to give back to the community and help those in need.
Local schools have supported the CKR by running sports-themed days or donation days, where school children donate an item of sportswear and the sports development team run fun activity games throughout the day, making it one big celebration of sport, health, and physical activity.
Professional athletes have also supported the appeal, ranging from Team GB athletes to professional football players, giving the initiative even greater visibility and reach.
These contributions have created an even stronger link between recycling and community wellbeing, enabling the CKR to continue to grow and support more people.
Awards & Recognition
The CKR’s impact has not gone unnoticed. In September 2023, it won the StreetGames South Wales Mental Health & Wellbeing Award. More recently, it was runner-up in the Community Impact Award at the BASIS Sustainable Sports Awards, held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in September 2024. These accolades reflect the incredible positive effect the CKR has had on both people and communities in Blaenau Gwent.
Why It Matters This Recycling Week
The CKR shows that recycling isn’t just about materials, it’s about people. Every item donated, swapped, or collected not only reduces waste, but also creates new opportunities for someone in our community. By offering all items completely free of charge, brand new or pre-loved, the CKR removes financial barriers and ensures everyone can get involved in sport and physical activity.
This Recycling Week, we’re proud to celebrate the difference the CKR is making – protecting the planet while supporting local people.
Get Involved
Do you have unused sports kit or footwear at home? Recycling Week is the perfect time to give it a new home. You can donate to any of our recycle bins based at our sports centres, all our libraries, sports clubs, Tai Calon Community Housing in Blaina, or at any of their community houses across Blaenau Gwent – and help us continue this cycle of giving.
Remember, there is no charge for any sportswear item, regardless of brand or condition, whether it’s brand new or pre-loved.
Thinking of running your own themed campaign in your workplace? You can support a positive, community-impacting initiative like the CKR and work together with us on Making Sports Accessible for All.
For more information on the Community Kit Room and how you can take part, click here.
