Families across Wells and the surrounding Somerset villages are being invited to take part in a free seven-day challenge to sort through children's outgrown belongings, make space at home and keep useful items from going to waste before Christmas.

The initiative, called Outgrown, Not Wasted, encourages parents to review the clothes, toys, books, shoes and baby equipment their children no longer need. Instead of trying to clear the whole house in one weekend, families tackle one manageable category each day.

The first six days cover clothing, toys, books, baby equipment, shoes and accessories, and larger belongings. The seventh day is about deciding what to do with the items that have been sorted.

There are five possible choices for each item: keep it, pass it on to another family, donate it, recycle it responsibly or sell it. Parents are encouraged to consider whether something could still be enjoyed or used rather than automatically throwing it away.

The challenge was created by Karolina Gudes, a mum of two from Broughton in North Wales and founder of the UK family platform Kidora. She developed the idea after seeing how quickly good-quality children's belongings accumulated at home as her own children grew.

Karolina said: "Children outgrowing something does not mean it has stopped being useful. A coat, toy or book that one child has finished with could be exactly what another family needs."

In Wells, there are already local examples of families helping belongings find another use. Wells Cathedral School's Parents and Friends' Association runs a volunteer-led second-hand uniform shop, with arrangements for parents to offer suitable uniform for resale.

Barnardo's charity shop at 23 High Street in Wells also sells preloved clothing, books and toys. Donating good-quality items can help keep them in use while supporting the charity, although families should always check which donations a shop is currently able to accept.

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These organisations operate independently of Outgrown, Not Wasted and are not Kidora partners. Their work demonstrates how items that one household no longer needs may still be useful to others.

With Christmas approaching, a first task for Wells parents could be checking coats and shoes that no longer fit, looking through toys that have not been played with for months or rediscovering books that children still enjoy.

Children can help make decisions about favourite games to keep and which suitable belongings they would be happy to share. There is no pressure to give everything away, and keeping useful items is just as valid as passing them on.

Parents are reminded to check baby equipment for damage, missing parts, current safety advice and product recalls before donating, selling or passing it on. Not every second-hand baby product is suitable for reuse.

Kidora operates a UK parent-to-parent marketplace for preloved baby and children's items, with local collection and nationwide delivery. However, taking part in Outgrown, Not Wasted requires no account, purchase, payment or sale.

A free printable seven-day checklist, posters and ready-made sharing materials are available for families, schools, nurseries, PTAs and community organisations. Households can start whenever convenient and work at their own pace.

https://kidora.uk/outgrown