We have been working closely with Preloved Sports since their inception – they are the ones who help produce the Green Runners patches our members wear so proudly! In the first of what we hope to be a regular series of conversations, we spoke to Michael Hill, founder and director of Preloved Sports.
He told us all about why the organisation was formed, the impact they are having, and what they hope to see change in the way we kit up in the future.
Why was Preloved Sports founded?
Michael: We formed in April 2021 on the way out of Covid. I was struggling with grief and used running as a focus. As we came out of Covid, being a runner I could see the amount of waste being generated through the sport. I looked at ReRun and wondered, ‘Can I create something like that, but in Yorkshire?’
We started off pretty small with three supermarket crates and we’ve grown to 20 supermarket crates, umpteen boxes and two lockups. But we use that to help a lot of people in need.
Preloved is in memory of my dad. I know how important running is to your wellbeing – it took me through my grief journey. We wanted to provide a service where we can make running, cycling, and fitness more affordable and more accessible to everyone.
What were some of the early challenges?
Michael: We used to run Preloved with my wife in our dining room. One time, we were sent four pallets – equating to around 900kg – of cheap polyester event t-shirts from one company we were working with. It was just a huge amount of cheap tat they had clearly not given enough consideration to and made it our problem to solve.
Thankfully, we did manage to redistribute it all.
They all went to different charities and organisation. Nothing was wasted. Some went to The Green Runners for the patches, some went to material banks for students who were doing fashion design studies.
We can all make a little change, but when you have a massive company creating 900kg of cheap kit – for us that was a hard lesson to learn. It costs us money to redistribute it all.
Where does the kit you receive end up?
Since we formed as a Community Interest Company (CIC) in September 2022 only 22 items have had to be disposed of due to safety or condition, everything else is resold or redistributed. If you look at the total, we’ve sold 2,338 items (which is 411.5kg or 18.54% of our garments). We have redistributed 8,792 items to charities – such as homeless charities, refugee charities, or groups from disadvantaged backgrounds. Those garments total around 1,572.8kg making redistribution about 70.85% of everything that leaves Preloved.
Listing those numbers off, how does that make you feel?
It makes me feel slightly mixed. I thought we would have sent out more. But, when I read those numbers, you are looking at over a ton of items going out to help people. It makes me incredibly proud. We are making a difference. It also shows the scale of the problem we have at the other end, with the production of too much kit and people not buying responsibly. We’re only just the tip of the iceberg.
How do we solve those problems, in your opinion?
In the running and cycling world, you never know how something will fit or perform until you go out there – trainers are the worst for it.
We need to find solutions where people are making smarter, more informed choices. Maybe shops could offer demos or rental kit so people can try before they buy.
Having partnerships to provide solutions for people who want to buy affordable sportswear is key, as is more awareness.
I would love a network of Preloved Sports shops where people can have a choice of second-hand sportswear. We have a buy and try system so people have the chance to try the kit and, if it doesn’t work for them, they can send it back.
Brands should have a system like that so people can make smarter choices for them. Ultimately, more education leads to informed choices, but we all need to be more responsible, especially producers.
Have things already changed since you started?
Times are absolutely changing. At the National Running Show this year, we were completely unprepared for the demand we received for our second-hand items. There is definitely a new wave of interest in second-hand kit. We took a lot of donations at NRS and still left with less kit than we came with. The stand was impenetrable at times!
I used to be one of those snobs who used to buy second-hand, but nowadays almost every bit of clothing I wear is second-hand. More people are looking at second-hand as a viable option.
There was one woman who spent about £25 on a few items. We took payment and she said, ‘Thank you very much’. We said, ‘No thank you!” She then said, “No. I am thanking you. Because of the cost of living, I can barely afford my mortgage and my bills. But running is the only thing I have to clear my head. I am thanking you because you have made running more affordable for me. I can run and clear my head, and you’ve made that possible.”
You’ve been working on a new community hub project. Tell us more about that!
There are a lot of people out there who have some mental barriers that prevent them from taking the first step to fitness – maybe it’s homelessness, disabilities, maybe it’s mental health problems. The idea was to bring people into running, sit in a relaxed environment, go for a run, kit them up, and then put a plan in place to help them on their journey.
We wanted to purchase a physical space, but rent prices are just too high. Instead, we applied for a grant from the National Lottery Fund to buy a van. We are going to convert it into a mini version of our original idea, with a relaxed space inside and some kit in the back we can give to people. Being a van, we can obviously take it to places and help more people enjoy the benefits of running.
Do you know anyone else in the world doing what Preloved Sports does?
I think we are one of the first to be doing this kind of thing.
I have heard of some companies doing similar, but a lot of them are for-profit organisations, and their prices are a lot higher. It’s my dream to make this a full-time job, but we aren’t there yet, and we want to keep it accessible.
There’s definitely an opportunity for people from around the world to do this. There is clearly a demand for it, and it would be great to see more people doing this. We would love to help them and give them support if they wanted to start something!
