Community shows itself in many small, everyday ways, be it a friendly ‘hello’ to the 213 bus driver, a chat with a stranger in the vegetable aisle at Seoul Plaza , dropping off donations at your favourite Princess Alice Hospice shop, lending a hand (and a ladder) to your neighbour or taking part in your local Bushy Park park run. It is built through connections, generosity, and the simple act of being together, supporting one another.  

Our collaboration with Kingston College grew out of that spirit, working together with the next generation on a project exploring sustainability, creativity and community care. In the next few weeks, BTEC fashion, textile & costume students will be upcycling donated clothing from our charity shops to create original items and give them a new lease of life. 

One of the people helping bring this project to life is Tamara, Compassionate Neighbour and shop assistant at our East Molesey charity shop. Tamara’s journey with sewing began early: “I learnt to use a sewing machine at age 8,” she says. “I first made clothes for my dolls, then I moved on to clothes I could wear.” 

As a teenager, Tamara was already thinking differently about fashion and clothes: “I would make my own clothes, but it wasn’t considered cool at that time, so I would just sew a label from a high street brand on them to make them look cool!” That lifelong instinct to create, adapt and reuse was put to the test when Tamara became a finalist on The Great British Sewing Bee in 2014. The experience, she says, was intense “You were on set from 8am to sometimes 11pm and it’s not like sewing at home, where you make a cup of tea and take your time!” but it also pushed her beyond her comfort zone. “Every home sewer sticks to their comfort zone, so I was forced to get out of that,” she reflects. “It gave me the confidence to give it a go.” An experience that continues to shape how she approaches sewing and upcycling today. 

For Tamara, giving old garments a new life is about freedom and self-expression. “The ability to use your imagination and create a look that looks like you,” she explains. “I don’t want to be told what I need to wear this season!”  

Upcycling also matters to her because of what it says about how we consume. “So much goes into landfill, and we need to really make an effort to be more sustainable, in the way we consume fashion.” She sees it as both a responsibility and an opportunity: “It is an exciting time for people to find their own style and getting them away from fast and ultra-fast fashion!” 

That mindset sits at the heart of our collaboration with Kingston College, where BTEC fashion students are upcycling donated items from our shops. For Tamara, working with students is especially rewarding: “I love teaching and hopefully inspire and encourage people to use their imagination. There are no limits,” she explains. “Don’t be afraid to try something new. It doesn’t matter if you make a mistake, everything is an experience you learn from!” 

She hopes students will come away with a new perspective. “Think outside the box and learn to use what you have and what is in front of you, everything can have a purpose.” For her, creative projects like the Kingston College collaboration do more than teach skills. “It brings people together,” she says. “It creates communities within communities; it makes you feel supported and part of something bigger.”