In response to River Island’s campaign we agree that – #LABELSAREFORCLOTHES. We would add, there are now almost one million disabled children here in the UK, so campaigns like this really need to happen to encourage greater representation across all areas of life. Breaking down barriers, so they are seen as children first and foremost, and not just defined by their disability. Let’s care not exclude.

Newlife charity is River Island’s longest standing charity partner. Working together since 1991, we’ve helped to change the lives of thousands of disabled children across the UK. Also, our relationships with many other leading retailers, providing recycling services to meet their needs, helps us change young lives and protect the environment too.

In an interesting twist, our process in providing a service to these retailers is to remove the brand name labels from the clothes they donate – only the care label remains, which matches well with our mission – to care not exclude!

For many people, the fashion we choose helps us have a sense of belonging and personality, as well as showcasing our individuality and helping us feeling confident. That’s just as important whether you are disabled or not.

Our mission at Newlife is to ensure that every child with a disability has access to equipment and services and their families get the support they need. We want to enable them to live as full a life as possible.

Sheila Brown, OBE