Free prom dresses in Sunderland at Pallion tip's Revive shop to help with cost of living crisis

As prom season approaches, it can be an expensive time for families who may already be struggling with an increase in bills.

Revive shop opened its doors last year as part of the £5million state-of-the-art Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Pallion Industrial Estate, which replaced the old tip in Deptford.

Since then, the shop has saved more than nine tonnes of household items, clothing, toys and more from being burnt along with general household waste, which is used to generate electricity for the National Grid through a high-tech burning process.

They already sell clothes for as little as £1, but to help families further they’re giving away prom dresses that are donated to the shop, with more than 20 already finding new homes.

Most of the dresses have been worn just once and are in good condition.

Revive Sunderland manager, Donna Scott, said: “We’ve managed to divert so many goods from being burnt for energy. We’re in a great spot for people who are visiting the recycling centre with their waste and can just drop off things that can be saved, we pretty much take everything.

"We’re not that fussy and we have the space, so we have lots of clothes, lots of bric-a-bra, toys and small bits of furniture. It’s often items that come from people clearing their mam’s and dad’s houses, so we get a good array of items. People are so pleased that it’s not just going to be burnt.”

Donna added: “With the prom dresses, we just thought it would be a nice thing to do. This is an expensive time for people anyway so to then have to buy a dress and pay for alterations, it can total hundreds of pounds.

"A number of dresses have gone already, the response has been amazing, and we’ve had some really lovely dresses in.”

Prices at Revive are kept low with games for £1, coats for £4 and bags and shoes for £3.

Proceeds from the shop, which is manned by a dedicated group of six staff and five volunteers, go to the St Vincent de Paul Society England and Wales, which helps those in need in society.

The shop accepts and sells a wide range of items including clothes, books, DVDs, electricals, toys, homeware, furniture and lots of quirky items. It also has a small garden centre.

The Pallion Household Waste and Recycling Centre has recently been shortlisted in the Civic Amenity site of the Year category in the prestigious Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management.

::Revive will be running the prom dress offer until the end of May and all are invited to donate dresses or call in for a free one. It also has some prom suits. It’s one dress per customer.

Shop opening times are seven days a week from 9.30am to 4.30pm. It’s situated at the entrance to the tip and has its own car park.