Over £2,000 worth of stationery has been donated to Manchester-based charity, HideOut Youth Zone, to support vulnerable young people during the stressful back-to-school period.

The donation comes from the UK’s leading office and stationery business, Ryman, who donated the supplies to help the charity’s mission of providing young people in the region the opportunity to discover their passion and purpose through engaging activities and projects.

The financial implications of a new school year can be challenging for many, but with official figures suggesting almost four million children in the UK are now living in poverty, a huge portion of the country’s youth will be without essentials such as food, clothing and a warm place to stay.

For those, even basic school supplies can be out of reach which is why Ryman wanted to go the extra mile to help bridge this gap and support Manchester’s young people this new school year.

The back-to-school stationery donation provided by Ryman equates to £2,000, providing necessary equipment such as pencil cases, calculators and felt tips that any schoolchild would need to succeed in their studies.

HideOut’s primary mission is to provide children and young people with somewhere safe to go, something positive to do and someone trusted to talk to, in order to unlock their potential and discover their passions.

The charity aims to give young people from a diverse range of backgrounds access to incredible facilities in a vibrant, purpose-built space that provides opportunity to make friends, develop new skills, build their confidence and have fun.

Theo Paphitis, Ryman Chairman said:

“I am delighted that Ryman has been able to assist HideOut Youth Zone for a further year in their mission to support disadvantaged young people in the Manchester region. School is such a vital part of a child’s development, and as such, having the right equipment is absolutely essential for them. We’re pleased to be able to play a small part in Hideout’s wider goal and hope this helps students have the best possible start to the year.”

Laura Dawson, Employability and Enterprise Coordinator at HideOut Youth Zone, said:

“As we all know, the increasing cost-of-living is a rife crisis across the whole country, but it affects those who are in the highest percentile of deprivation the most."

“Thanks to the generosity of Ryman, we have been able to give young people and their families one less thing to worry about in terms of the mammoth to-buy list that comes with returning to school and college for a new year."

“No young person should be left unable to access essential equipment and we are proud and very appreciative of the support from Ryman in providing young people with the resources to start the new year right.”