The Parish of Putney

We are founded under the umbrella charity of the Parish of Putney, which provides governance, oversight and foundational support. This relationship anchors our work within the wider parish community.

The Parish also responds to our calls for aid, mobilising the congregations for collections, fundraising and volunteer support whenever there is urgent need, both locally and internationally.

Medical Institutions and NHS Trusts

We work directly with medical institutions and NHS trusts, responding to requests for scrubs, specialist garments and practical support. Our relationship is collaborative and needs-led — we sew, source and distribute items based on frontline requirements, and we also advocate for sustainable procurement and the responsible redistribution of surplus stock.

Oasis Academy Putney

**Oasis Academy Putney** is a key local partner and home to our hub. We work closely with staff and pupils on community projects, skills-sharing and humanitarian initiatives, including the twinning of the school with School 73 in Lviv, Ukraine. Together we connect practical aid with education, fostering solidarity and global awareness among young people.
The Scrubbery has established a comprehensive school library, which we run through weekly library sessions, reading with students, nurturing a love of books and encouraging the development of junior librarians. We were greatly assisted by **Putney High School** when setting up the library and have maintained an ongoing collaborative program with students from both schools around ecology and sustainability through reading schemes and workshops. The **Miles Trust** has been generous in supporting the purchase of books and educational aids for the library. The Scrubbery run a weekly library session with **Wild About Play** nursery that are housed in the Oasis building.
Our volunteers also support outdoor learning classes, provide one-to-one reading support, and contribute to elements of the design and technology syllabus and practical lessons, sharing hands-on skills that build confidence, creativity and capability.
In addition, we run an after-school sewing club, introducing students to practical textile skills, encouraging creativity and problem-solving, and demonstrating how sewing can serve both personal development and sustainability through mending clothes.

Roehampton Community Shed

We work in partnership with Roehampton Community Shed, a project run by Age UK that provides a welcoming, workshop-based environment for older people in the community. The Shed offers practical activities such as woodworking, repair and making, helping to reduce isolation and support wellbeing through shared skills and purposeful activity.
They have helped us to make kinderboxes for the picture books in the library, a returns box and a book trolley by repurposing broken school furniture. They enjoy the unusual nature of the projects that we commission and we benefit hugely from their practical support. This partnership strengthens our local community by bringing together practical skills, sustainable thinking and genuine social connection, which ensures that experience, craftsmanship and time are shared in ways that continue to benefit others.

Linus Quilt Project

The Linus Quilt Project (Project Linus UK) is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to providing handmade quilts and blankets to children who are sick, disabled, disadvantaged, or distressed, giving them a sense of comfort, security and warmth when they need it most.
At The Scrubbery, we collaborate with Project Linus by using scrub off-cuts and other donated fabric to make quilts. Some of these quilts go to Evelina London Children’s Hospital and other places where children benefit from them. We also extend this support further afield to orphans and wheelchair users in Ukraine.

Dress a Girl Around the World

Dress a Girl Around the World is a global sewing charity and campaign founded in 2006 under Hope 4 Women International that aims to provide handmade dresses and shorts to girls living in poverty and vulnerable communities around the world, helping bring dignity, confidence, and a sense of worth to recipients.
They support The Scrubbery by sending us their handmade clothing. We combine this with our own and ship the collective consignments to Ukraine where they are distributed to children who no longer have parents and those who are displaced. We use donated and upcycled fabric to make our dresses, ensuring practical support is paired with sustainability. These hand-made garments are joyfully received.
This partnership allows us to extend our community’s sewing skills into work that both meets essential needs and affirms the value of every girl who receives a dress.

Work and Play Scrapstore

Work and Play Scrapstore is a community resource charity that collects clean surplus materials from businesses and individuals and redistributes them for creative, educational, and community use. By diverting usable materials from landfill, the Scrapstore promotes reuse, sustainability and affordable access to resources for schools, community groups and charities.

The Scrubbery both donates surplus fabric and textile off-cuts to the Scrapstore and is an active member of the organisation. Through this reciprocal relationship, we ensure that excess materials from our sewing projects are reused creatively within the community, while also accessing reclaimed resources for our own educational and charitable initiatives. One of our volunteers also supports the Scrapstore directly, giving one day a week to assist in its work. Together, this strengthens local sustainability efforts, reduces waste and reinforces a practical, community-based circular economy.

Putney Women's Institute

Putney Women’s Institute is part of the wider National Federation of Women’s Institutes, a long-established UK movement supporting women through education, skills-sharing and community action. The Putney branch brings together local women for talks, practical activities and charitable initiatives, with a strong emphasis on craft, service and mutual support.

The Scrubbery works alongside Putney Women’s Institute members on sewing, collections and community-focused projects. Their members contribute practical textile skills, volunteer time and fundraising support, helping extend our reach locally and strengthening the network of women-led community action in Putney.

Gail's Bakery – Food Redistribution Scheme

Through the Gail’s Bakery food scheme, we collect surplus baked goods that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute them within the local community. Working in conjunction with Community Champions and local partners, we coordinate the collection and onward sharing of overbakes to community groups and food support initiatives.
This practical arrangement reduces food waste while ensuring high-quality surplus food reaches those who can benefit from it. It is a straightforward but effective example of how small, consistent actions of collecting, transporting and sharing can make a tangible difference at community level.
We redistribute to Oasis Academy Putney, Chantelle’s Kitchen Roehampton, St. Margaret’s Lunch on the Lane, Roehampton Community Box, Foodbanks, Foodcycle and All Saints’ and St. Mary’s Churches.

Duke of Edinburgh Community Service Provider

We are proud to welcome young people completing their Duke of Edinburgh Award to undertake their community service with The Scrubbery. As part of their qualification, participants volunteer regularly at the hub, supporting tasks such as sorting fabric, cutting quilt squares and sewing quilts, preparing sewing kits, sewing, cutting, making camouflage nets, preparing trench candles, packing aid and helping with general organisation. In doing so, they gain practical skills, an understanding of community service and experience of working as part of a volunteer-led team. Their contribution is valued and real, and in turn, they leave with confidence, responsibility and a clear sense of how their time and effort can make a tangible difference.