SCOTS are asked to “sponsor a child” this summer – by buying uniforms for deprived youngsters in their own communities.

The country’s Back to School Bank network launched two years ago, providing free school shoes, ties, blazers and more for primary and secondary pupils from struggling backgrounds. Initially developed by members of Women for Independence, the volunteer-run groups aim to provide “dignity” to children who would otherwise lack essential items, and have spread to Northern Ireland, England and Wales.

Until now, the autonomous groups have relied on informal donations of new shirts, gym bags and stationery from supporters. Now a coordinated effort is underway to collect hundreds of uniform sets as demand for the referral services grow.

Edinburgh School Uniform Bank, which issued the plea on Saturday, received around 100 offers to “sponsor a child” within two days.

Meanwhile, around 80 people have agreed to do the same for Back to School Bank Paisley, which caters for the Renfrewshire area.

Participants will be given the age and gender of a child in need and asked to shop for items specified by group organisers. However, the identities of the youngsters involved – referred by food banks, social workers and other third parties – will remain anonymous.

More groups in the network are expected to issue the same call to action, which is akin to those made by charities in developing countries.

Donna Squires, of the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank, told The National: “We’re now in our third year, and until now we have helped 100-plus children every year. This year we expect this to double.

The National:

“We already have 130 referrals for the upcoming school term, and we expect that to increase in August, which is our busiest time.”

Participants in the sponsorship drive are encouraged to include an extra such as hair bobbles, underwear or socks to personalise the aid pack.

Squires said: “There is a lot of affluence in Edinburgh, but there is also a lot of financial hardship.

“We deal with a lot of young carers, who do get a bit of support, but who use that money to help those they care for, picking up microwave meals for their mum or dad.

“We also get a lot of families involved in kinship care, who suddenly have an expensive child to care for, and they don’t get benefits for that.

“Imagine the delight of getting a full school uniform packed with everything in it.”

More than one quarter of Scottish youngsters (260,000) live in relative poverty, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, it costs an estimated £130 to kit a kid out each year, but this can rise significantly depending on the individual requirements of each school, with some parents asked to provide more expensive embroidered clothing and bags.

Many of those helped by the volunteer groups are teenagers, whose families face higher costs for clothing and footwear.

Lynne Gilday, of Back to School Bank Paisley, said she had been “caught a bit off guard” by the response to the sponsorship initiative. She said: “The expense of a uniform, especially with the rate kids grow at, is a lot for some families. We’re just delighted with the response and so happy for the children and families this will help. It’s been far more successful than we ever hoped – we only put the post up late last night.”