Kind-hearted dad opens pop-up shop at New Street Station for people to 'buy' coats for local children in need

• Article Publisher: Birmingham Mail
• Author: Zoe Chamberlain
• Publish Date: Wednesday 5th October - 08:42am
• Original Article: View HERE

When Mark Goodall heard about how his mum's family went without so that they could provide for her, he knew he wanted to do something to help children in similar situations. His friend Neil Goldup worked as a teacher at Oasis Academy Short Heath and told him how some children were arriving in school cold and wet as their families couldn't afford warm coats and shoes.

So, the kind-hearted dad decided to take action, initially making a donation to help the school's safeguarding leader Pam Atwal buy some coats for the kids who really needed them. But they didn't just buy cheap coats and hand them out.

For Mark, Pam and Neil, this was as much about a child's self esteem as it was about providing warmth. And so they invited the families they knew were in need to choose their own coats. Mark then did a Wolf Run to raise funds to go out and buy them. The new coats were then given to the parents for them to give to their children, without them knowing they had been donated.

"I initially launched Cosy Coats as a surprise for my mum's 70th birthday," said Mark, from Sutton Coldfield, whose children are 21, 11 and 10. "My mum grew up in very poor circumstances. They were lucky they had parents who adored them and did everything they could to provide for them. But there were a number of occasions when my mum's family went hungry to provide for them.

"Once my mum was asked to bring a science set into school and they couldn't afford one so my nan cooked just potatoes for a whole week and sold some items so they could buy her a science set. They made that sacrifice for a week. What really pulls on my heartstrings is that my mum lay awake at night for a week worrying about it. I hate to think of any child worrying about stuff like that, I find it really emotional.

"Kids are coming into school in plimsolls and without coats. You know that once your feet and body gets cold, it can take a long time to warm up and that's just miserable in school. I did some research and found that there were quite a few charities set up to help with hand-me-down and second hand school uniforms but not so much with coats and shoes so that's why I launched Cosy Coats."

How can you help

This winter, Mark is aiming to provide lots more coats and shoes for children in schools across Birmingham. He is opening a pop-up shop underneath the customer screens at New Street Station in Birmingham city centre. From Monday October 3 to Friday October 7, he and a team of Network Rail volunteers will be 'selling coats' for schoolchildren.

"Pam has sent me a wish list of coats, which I've bought. We will have racks of these coats available for people to 'buy' that we can then send into schools," said Mark, who works for the railways with his wife. "People can write a message to put into the pocket of the coat they buy if they like.

"Any donation is welcome. So, if there's a £20 coat and someone wants to donate £5, they can buy a quarter of that coat. There will also be a collection box if people would like to just drop in a pound or two. We know that some people will want to buy a coat to know that they have kept a child warm this winter."

"Pam doesn't let the kids know that the coats are a donation," he explained. "It gives parents the dignity of not looking like they can't afford something. There's huge self esteem that comes with a new coat rather than a hand-me-down or second hand one.

"Most people are lucky enough to know what it feels like to have something new and fashionable. The children are proud to be around other kids who have that kind of stuff routinely. For us, Cosy Coats is about warmth and self esteem.

"We didn't want to buy all plain blue coats as they'd be known as the free coats. This way, the children get to pick their own coat they would like and we buy it for them. Lots of kids have always had hand-me-downs, they've never had anything new and this is so important.

"All the coats are picked by the children and their parents so we know they will like them. We know that a 15-year-old boy will want something different to a little girl.

"Oasis academies tend to be in deprived areas of Birmingham with 50 percent of pupils classed as in need. Some are refugees who are already feeling lost and don't have a great deal, others are in temporary accommodation following domestic abuse."

Pam Atwal said: "I think a lot of people are thinking of food when we talk about the rising cost of living but there are many children who haven't got warm coats and shoes. It makes you realise how privileged we are to be able to buy our children new things.

"When Mark heard about this, he took it upon himself to raise money to help make sure the most vulnerable children had warm coats for the winter. We give parents the option to 'purchase' the coat they want, they don't have to tell their child it was a handout. This is so good."

Find out more about the Cosy Coats initative