Neuff Red partner with Soles4Souls for used kit project

At Neuff Red we care about our planet as much as we care about our sport, and we care about athletes, too. Lots of us have piles of pre-loved kit in the corners of rooms and it pains us to see them go to waste.

What if we could re-use this kit and transform the lives of others with it? What if, just by having a clear out, we could support people, families, children, workers, athletes to enjoy a better life? And not just by raising funds for charitable causes, but actually by using the kit itself.

With these questions in mind, at Neuff Red we’ve teamed up with Soles4Souls to collect gently worn kit for redistribution to hardworking entrepreneurs to build and sustain their own businesses selling donated shoes and clothing, and enabling them to fight poverty and support their families and communities.

There are a lot of athletes, triathletes and just people who don’t have access to kit, and maybe there’s a potential world champion whose talents we’ll never see as they lack the kit to train, or maybe they just lack a pair of shoes for school or work. These small businesses fulfil that need while creating jobs and opportunity. Since 2006, Soles4Souls have distributed more than 50 million pairs of shoes and pieces of clothing in 129 countries and they’ve kept more than 23,000 tonnes of textiles from going to landfills and put them to good use instead.

Soles4Souls also distributes new shoes and clothing donated by retailers and manufacturers to people in need around the world. By partnering with Soles4Souls to collect shoes in the UK, Neuff Red are unlocking the potential to distribute free new shoes and kit to young people and athletes in the UK who may not otherwise have access to the gear they need.

We’ll be working with English Schools Athletics Association and a variety of triathlon and community organisations to create these distribution networks. Neuff Red and Soles4Souls will also be working on the opportunity for para athletes to receive single shoes.

Laura Siddall, pro-triathlete and Neuff Red team member, has worked with Soles4Souls for many years and says: “Soles4Souls is a great organisation, empowering women entrepreneurs to use these shoes to create jobs ad break the cycle of poverty. I love knowing that my ex-best kit is now supporting a budding athlete to fulfil their dreams, or just supporting someone to give them a chance and opportunity to live better day to day. It’s really exciting to bring these organisations together, and I’m really passionate that we can make a difference to someone, or so many people, through the power of sport, and just giving them a pair of shoes.”

Neuff Red Director, Matt Cunningham-Neuff, adds: “Neuff was founded to support athletes in their development and we also try our hardest to have ethical work practices, such as recycled packaging and Living Wages. We’re proud of this new partnership and looking forward to both receiving donated kit and developing the new distribution networks.”

If you’d like to help the environment, support micro-entrepreneurs, enable disadvantaged athletes and declutter your kit drawer, send your gently used, pre-loved shoes & sports kit to:

Soles4Souls @ Neuff Red

3 Abbots Close

Lee Mill Industrial Estate

Ivybridge

Devon PL21 9GA

Visit soles4souls.org for more information about their work.