A community initiative is helping more people than ever as soaring costs mean families can't afford to buy from second-hand shops.
The Original Swap Shop has been run out of Speke Training & Education Centre for nearly 10 years after a group of mums came together to share used school uniforms. The mums would recycle old uniforms and pass them on from one child to another when they had grown out of them.
But since then the community group has provided people with clothing, household items and food no matter their position - and most importantly no money ever changes hands. The swap shop is run by a group of volunteers led by mum and daughter Pauline and Shantelle Mensah.
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Pauline, who was born in Toxteth but now lives in Allerton, said they have noticed a significant rise in the amount of people coming through their doors each week. The 54-year-old told the ECHO: "The shop is well-needed in the local area. We get 50 to 60 people coming to see us on Friday mornings. We're a godsend for people struggling with the cost of living crisis."
"People used to go to second hand shops but they can't afford to anymore. One mum came and saw us and said she only had £5 to buy her daughter a coat.
"All the clothes in a charity shop were more than that and they wouldn't accept the money. We gave her a coat and no money changed hands. We're thinking of opening another two days a week because of the demand we're seeing."
Pauline said they have people travelling to Speke from as far as Bootle and the Wirral to visit the shop. The mum said they have previously trialled the shop in Kensington and Toxteth - and hopes to open across all areas of Merseyside.
The shop relies on donations and fundraising - and people who have any old and unwanted items are urged to bring them into the shop to stop them ending up in landfill. The shop specialises in redistributing preloved clothes, shoes, baby equipment, and bedding.
The importance of the shop is felt most at Christmas and Easter, when families can come and get a hamper. Pauline said at Christmas every hamper includes ingredients for a roast dinner and a present for each child, while at Easter children are given chocolate eggs.
The swap shop sees a lot of young families and single mums come through their doors, as well as a number of asylum seekers. But Pauline reinforces the shop is open to anyone who needs it - and the volunteers never ask about people's circumstances.
She said: "There's no rules to who comes to the shop. Our only message is 'need not greed'." Pauline added the shop has no plans of closing anytime soon, with the feelings of satisfaction knowing they're making a difference the driving force for the volunteers.
Pauline told the ECHO: "Since the lockdown we've seen a hell of a lot more people coming in. But it's nice knowing we're helping people. People cry and thank us for what we're doing.
"That feeling is better than anything else. It's better than getting a million pounds."
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