Morton In The Community Hold Swap Shop In Greenock

Morton in the Community has helped locals find a new home for their old ‘boots and pieces’ through a special sports swap shop.

The local club’s charity arm took over a vacant unit on Greenock’s West Stewart Street last week to offer children and adults the chance to pick up some recycled kit.

The pop-up had a variety of equipment available for visitors, including replica kits from top European football clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as boots, water bottles, and other pieces of sports gear.

Youngsters who came into the unit were able to get their hands on new kit and equipment just in time for the schools starting back from the summer holidays.

Local mum Linda Sutherland brought along her seven-year-old son James, who was able to get his hands on a new pair of football boots and a Tottenham Hotspur strip.

She thought the initiative was a great idea.

She said: “We came along to see what there was as he’s very into his football now, so we were looking for a different football strip.

“He handed in his old football boots, and he got himself some new ones.

“It’s a great idea to re-use things, as children often grow out of things like football boots or their kit before it’s done.

“This stops you throwing stuff away and gives you the opportunity to mix things up and get something new.”

The shop’s owners donated the space free of charge for the charity to use as a pop-up, with local property firm Bowman Rebecchi helping the group to find the space.

The project was funded through the Inverclyde Community Fund and shop mirrors and stools for the unit were donated by Cameron’s Events in Glasgow.

The club’s ‘Boots and Pieces’ initiative received support from radio DJ George Bowie and Morton manager Dougie Imrie when it was launched late last year.

The project takes its name from DJ Bowie’s well-known track ‘Bits and Pieces’.

Lewis McEwan, marketing assistant at Greenock Morton, said he was delighted with how well-received the pop-up had been.

He said: “We started this project up last year to avoid people wasting old sports clothes.

“People can come in and hand in their old items and then they can take away new items that they maybe need more than others do.

“There’s a great selection of stuff – you’ve got Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Dortmund kits in there, and plenty of Morton stuff too of course.

“There are things like new boots, sportswear and tennis rackets, anything you could need really.

“We’ve done a few swap shops at our summer camps, but we’ve decided to take it on the road now with this pop-up shop.

“This helps break down the barriers to taking part in sports by giving people the equipment they need to play.

“It can be expensive for anyone to buy a new kit every year, if you have something you don’t use anymore you can come in and get something new.

“People can come in and donate at Cappielow or come along to one of our donation points."

For more information visit www.bootsandpieces.co.uk or contact Morton in the Community.

This article and image appeared in The Greenock Telegraph.