Northern England schools join climate change initiative

The initiative is part of the Future Citizen 2026 programme, running from March 16 to 22, and aims to raise awareness of fast fashion and promote environmentally-friendly alternatives.

More than 25 schools and colleges in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are taking part in the campaign, which focuses on how fashion choices impact the planet.

Amelia Twine, founder of A Single Thread CIC, the organisation delivering the programme, said: “When schools and colleges embed sustainable fashion skills into the curriculum or extra-curricular culture, they equip young people with practical ways to take climate action in their everyday lives.”

The campaign highlights the UK’s high rate of clothing consumption—an average of 28 new items per person each year—and the estimated 300,000 tonnes of clothing thrown away in household bins annually.

In North Yorkshire, Stokesley School and Sixth Form is taking part by organising a fashion show on March 19 to launch a preloved boutique on campus.

The boutique, supported by the local community, will offer students formalwear for events such as proms, parties, and interviews, while also promoting sustainable fashion.

Further north, Bishop Auckland College in County Durham is hosting a mending circle to encourage sustainability and clothes repair.

The session will promote the “make do and mend” philosophy, teaching students practical sewing and garment repair skills.

In Leeds, the Circular Fashion Incubator CIC is organising the International Circular Fashion Week Conference on March 16 and 17 at the Rose Bowl.

The event will feature talks, demonstrations, and student-led workshops on embroidery, garment embellishment, and repair techniques.

Young people in the Wirral will also have the chance to get involved.

Jane Gorden of Crafters and Makers is running a sewing machine workshop for children aged eight and above, alongside an after-school club focused on patching and visible mending.

Future Citizen’s 2026 theme is “Resilience in Style: Redefining Fashion,” which encourages young people to re-imagine fashion through creativity, community, and conscious decision-making rather than fast consumption.