Reduce, reuse, recycle is high on the agenda at the Etc., so it would come as no surprise to hear that items reaching the end of their life cycle could be destined for a new lease of life elsewhere.

Marketing and Recruitment staff at Redcar and Cleveland College embraced the green initiative recently during their big office spring clean.

With the help of Helen Carter-Smith, senior administrator at Redcar and Cleveland College, the team were able to match several items to new homes.

Old staff uniforms went international! T-shirts and polo shirts had their logos removed and were sent to Ukraine to be used for general purposes as cleaning materials. Following this, another batch of uniform was sent to Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary to go on to a local hedgehog rescue centre.

Old branded stationery that hadn’t kept pace with the evolution of the college was cleared out and sent to other group partner sites for admin use by staff.

An old cap and gown that had become a permanent feature of the office found its new home with the Guisborough Theatre Group.

Lastly, the mannequin featuring the old gown was sent to the Stockton Riverside College art department to help creative students in fashion and design subjects. Stockton students also benefited from receiving old sewing machines, which had been gathering dust at Redcar.

Liz Dixon, course leader arts and media at Stockton Riverside College said, 'It’s great to receive donations that our learners can use as part of their student journey.’