Bukayo Saka Donates Over 1,000 Uniforms to Local Children

People collecting items for new term delighted by visit to Greenford


Bukayo Saka handing out uniforms. Picture: Facebook

Participate

West Ealing Black Cultural Hub Faces Closure

New Centre Established for Black Community in Ealing

Ealing Parks Foundation Wants to Hear from You

Mahaba Café Officially Opens with Graduation Celebration

Sign up for our weekly Ealing newsletter

Comment on this story on the

August 13, 2025

Arsenal and England footballer Bukayo Saka has donated more than 1,000 school uniforms to children in Ealing, aiming to support families affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis.

The donation was made to four local schools, including Greenford High School and Edward Betham C of E Primary School, which Saka attended as a child.

The 23-year-old winger, who is a devout Christian, visited Greenford High last Thursday (7 August), surprising pupils, parents, and staff by personally handing out uniforms, signing autographs, and posing for photographs. His visit was met with enthusiasm from all those who had come to pick up uniforms for the new term, unaware that the star would be there.

Saka grew up in the area and was awarded the Freedom of the Borough in 2022 in recognition of his sporting achievements and his positive influence on young people following his performance at UEFA Euro 2020.

Greenford High School staff say Saka’s success continues to inspire current students. Assistant Headteacher Mark Harvey, who taught Saka during his time at the school, noted previously that younger pupils often struggle to believe a former student could reach such heights. “I’ve got to get it on my phone and go ‘no, no, no, this is when I taught him,’” Harvey said. “They just think becoming a professional footballer is so far removed from their world.”

The England star's visit was unannounced.
The England star's visit was unannounced. Picture: Facebook

The school displays a signed England shirt in its reception area and regularly highlights Saka’s academic achievements—he earned straight A* GCSEs.

This is not Saka’s first charitable initiative. Since 2022, he has supported the children’s medical charity BigShoe, funding surgeries for children in Kano, Nigeria. His recent donation in Ealing adds to a growing record of community engagement both locally and internationally.

Saka’s contribution of uniforms offers temporary relief for some families, but the issue remains a challenge for many across London.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.