TV presenter Steph McGovern has stepped in to help her favourite charity provide school shoes for some of the kids the charity works with.
Steph has been a long-time ambassador for Rubies, the Middlesbrough-based charity, that aims to help girls in Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland get a better start in life.
Working with footwear retailer Charles Clinkard, which also has its HQ in the town, Steph handed over 25 pairs of new shoes to girls from Rubies – courtesy of the firm.
The collaboration came about when Steph mentioned in a tweet that she’d always wanted the ‘princess’ shoes as a little girl, and the firm offered to collaborate with Steph and the girls at Rubies to set them off on the right foot for their return to school.
Steph said “Getting to collaborate with Charles Clinkard and Rubies to help support young people in my hometown means the world to me.
“As a proud Boro lass it’s great to see a company that was such a big part of my childhood helping out a whole new generation”
Rubies was started in 2017 in a bid to support local girls and provide them with opportunities that they may not have previously been given after Plan International published research into what life is like for girls living in the UK – with Middlesbrough named as the worst place to be a girl.
Founders Liz Edwards and Krista Coulson wanted to encourage girls to recognise their strengths and abilities and to offer support. They now work with primary schools to encourage girls to see themselves and each other positively.
Liz said: “We know that returning to school is going to be stressful and nerve-wracking for some young people after so much time off due to Coronavirus.
“We’re really grateful to Steph and to Charles Clinkard for arranging this to help girls feel confident when they walk back through the school gates later this week”
Charles Clinkard, MD of the firm, said: “Rubies is a fantastic charity which helps encourage girls in Middlesbrough to aspire to greater things.
”Like Steph, we’re very proud of our North East heritage, and we are delighted to be able to support Rubies in its vital work to boost the confidence of our young women.”