About Gladrags

Children and father performing Shakespeare's The Tempest in the grounds of their school, Wallands Primary School

  Children and parents of Wallands Community Primary School stage a free retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest;
a promenade performance on their school grounds for their local community

Group of young carers celebrating their Strictly Come Dancing competition, in costume.

Gladrags is a unique resource bringing the magic of costumes to community groups and organisations, including children and young people's projects, schools & colleges and amateur & fringe arts. As a Charity, we are committed to reaching groups and individuals who experience disadvantage and life challenges. From our vast range of over 7000 costumes, we are able to resource their community, educational and wellbeing projects, supporting and enriching their work. Our subsidised hire packages start at £3 a week and many of our educational workshops and community outreach activities are eligible for full subsidy.

Strictly Come Dancing for the Brighton Young Carers Group 

Gladrags is founded on the ethos of the re-use and recycling of clothing and materials, and this is reflected in our stock, 95% of which is donated, adapted and recycled. We are passionate about sharing resources and tackling textlie waste; we rehome any costumes we can't make use of ourselves so that community projects and schools with limited resources can benefit from them. In the same vein we provide surplus fabrics for craft and costume projects.

Three female actors in 1940s costume performing Fringe Show The Steamie at New Venture Theatre

In addition we provide costume hire to the general public for parties and social/ corporate events. This in effect subsidises the 60-80% discounted hire rates we offer not-for-profit organisations, and helps to fund our educational and community resources, which include:

  • Educational Workshops for children and young people from low-income families, teaching them sewing as a life skill, linking textile craft to cultures and historical eras and promoting the recycling and re-use of clothing.
  • Reminiscence activities such as “What we Wore” sessions and needlecraft get-togethers.
  • Tailored Resource and Discovery Boxes to enhance classroom learning, promote reminiscence, and support sensory and storytelling work.
  • Dress-up Corners and Interactive Storytelling with children living in deprived areas, encouraging imaginative play, and                        'The Steamie” Community Show at New Venture Theatre.        enthusiasm for stories and reading.                                                                                       Photographer: Strat Mastoris

“Gladrags is one of the most community orientated theatre resources in the Brighton area. For most of us who are working on a budget, having places like this to come to – that are low cost, reliable and of high quality – is vital. Gladrags understands how to take care of people, they are flexible and knowledgeable. I don’t know what I would have done without them!”

Helen Caton

New Venture Theatre

We have a range of policies that underpin our work and our responsibilities. As part of our data protection policy, here is our Gladrags Privacy Notice, detailing how we collect, process and store personal data safely and in accordance with GDPR (General Data Protection Legislation)

Opening times by appointment: ****************************** Tuesdays 10am to 6pm Thursdays 10am to 6pm Fridays 10am to 6pm ****************************** Registered Charity Number: 1122704

Call us:

In opening hours: 01273 609184
Out of hours: 07940 295623

Location:

Unit 10 Westergate Business Centre
Westergate road
Brighton
BN2 4QN