A mum from Cardiff has re-imagined the concept of a charity shop, by setting up her own version at home and giving away all donations to children for free.
Kayla Ellis, 31, who lives in Fairwater, accepts good quality items appropriate for children aged 16 and under, which she painstakingly sorts through and stores in her outhouse, before delivering them to struggling families all across the city.
Despite launching the project, called 'Love Thy Youth', just two weeks ago, she has already helped 23 families so far - with donations so far including an iPad, a Samsung Galaxy watch, a snooker table, mobile phones and a Wii.
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The mum-of-four runs the initiative entirely by herself, and reaches donors and families in need through social media. She puts out requests for specific items and advertises donations on the Love Thy Youth Facebook page.
"I am helping everybody. You don't need to be on benefits, it doesn't matter if you work, I don't care about your income," she said.
"If you're struggling and your child needs [something], you are more than welcome to come through my inbox. There's literally no judgement passed."
Kayla, who is a self-employed gardener, revealed a range of motivations behind the charitable endeavour.
"With my gardening, I work in Ely and Caerau. You see it all the time: children going without. They're not wearing what all the other children are wearing and they don't have the mobile phones that everybody else has," she said.
"I remember being 14 or 15. As a person, you're defined at that age by what you wear or what you have. I know it's important to have what everybody else and fit in. It shouldn't be like that, but unfortunately it is. So if I can help with that, then that's my aim."
Her own childhood experience allows her to empathise with the children she helps out.
"My mum struggled - she was a single mum - so I know what it feels like. She made sure we didn't go with without, but it wasn't like the best that everybody else had," she said.
"So I know those feelings - what it feels like to be that child that is looking at everyone and they've got this, that and the other and you don't, and it's not nice."
She added that she hopes to help curb bullying, which she claimed is a common sight where she lives.
"I live in Fairwater and I'm surrounded by three big high schools. Every day driving down my road, you always see a group of kids picking on one kid. I see it all the time," she said.
"If a child has something, maybe they won't bully, because they're not jealous - and maybe they won't be bullied because they have what everybody else has."
But the idea for love the Youth was also borne out of Kayla's disillusionment with the charity sector - particularly food banks, which she's worked for in the past.
"I've seen all these food banks and they don't just get food, they get donations of other stuff as well and it's not going to the right places," she explained.
"They get everything - clothes, make-up, toys - and it just stays there in a room and it did for a long time. That's why I took a step back from it all.
"I just thought, if I was doing it, I'd know where it was going."
With that in mind, Kayla strives to remain as transparent as possible. She posts videos and pictures of the donations, as well as messages of gratitude she receives from the people she gives them to.
"It's nice to be able to give everyone peace of mind and they can see where donations are going," she said.
She also vehemently believes "charity should never be a business", and vows to never accept money or funding for Love Thy Youth.
Instead, she aims to keep the project "pure and simple" in her outhouse, to avoid paying overhead costs such as rent, so that everything will always remain free.
"I see all these food banks and they're charging £3 for grab bags - but they're getting all that food for free," she pointed out.
She continued: "Why should anybody that has to shop in charity shops have to go and pay for something that [the shops] have been given for nothing? I just don't understand it."
"I understand they have overheads and have to pay wages, but some of the prices in some of the charity shops are extortionate. It should never get to this point."
The mum has had a phenomenal response to her home-based charity shop so far, and admitted that she "didn't think it would take off this quickly".
She described the Love Thy Youth Facebook page as a "little community" of people rallying together and has been "overwhelmed with the kindness".
"Every day there are more requests coming in. But there are also every single day more donations coming in. So there is a good balance," she said.
Striving for quality over quantity, Kayla only gives away donations that are in good condition and gets rid of anything not up to standard.
"There's no point giving stuff to a child for them to be very disappointed with it," she said.
"These kids do deserve better and I will get them better. It hasn't got to be designer - that's not the case."
Some notable donations so far include two mobile phones - which went to two schoolboys - a snooker table, a Wii complete with games and a Balance Board, a Samsung Galaxy watch, a pair of skates and an iPad.
Somebody also donated lots of toiletries, perfumes and make-up, which Kayla used to fill up nine beauty bags for teenage girls.
Kayla's initiative comes as the cost of living crisis continues to put pressure on household finances.
Inflation is at near 30 year high, energy bills are sky-rocketing and a tax rise on the way. You can read more about that here.
Asked whether she thinks the current crisis is part of the reason Love Thy Youth has had such a warm reception, Kayla is adamant in her view.
"Yes, definitely," she said. "I've noticed [the rising prices] a hell of a lot."
"If parents could afford little luxuries for their children [before], well, now that money is going to be going towards just basic living. So who have they got to help them? Nobody."
If you'd like to donate or request items, message Kayla via the Love Thy Youth Facebook page.
