Our Story
In 2013, unable to find a charity that could tell her where exactly her son Sal’s outgrown shoes would find their new feet if she donated them, CJ Bowry founded Sal’s Shoes.
Children tend to outgrow their shoes before they outwear them and feet in shoes are protected feet. Feet protected from injury and infection, and in areas of low sanitation the spread of infection.
Shoes are relatively difficult to recycle because of all the different components they are made up of. So, we find your preloved children’s shoes new feet.
Our Impact
In our first year we collected just under 5,000 pairs of shoes. 12 years on, we have now found new feet for over 8,000,000 pairs of Sal’s Shoes in 66 countries around the world, including increasingly here in the UK.
We now stock 13 Sal’s Shoes Shops around the country in existing community spaces and last year provided over 90,000 pairs of new school shoes and PE trainers to children in the UK through our School Shoes Fund.
Recognising Our Achievements
2025
G15 community impact awards – 1st place in the category Community Group Delivering Projects Supporting Cost of Living in recognition of our London-based Sal’s Shoes Shops in collaboration with Your Guinness.
2024
Drapers Footwear Award for Best Sustainable Initiative of the Year award for our collaboration with Clarkes Shoes.
Charity Times Award – charity of the year with an income of less than £1million.
2023
Awarded an OBE for services to young people, to education and to the environment.
2023
National Business Women’s Awards Third Sector Champion Silver award.
2022
Third Sector Awards finalist Small Charity, Big Achiever category.
2021
Girls Day School Trust (GDST) Alumna of the Year finalist.
2019
About Time Magazine 1 of the top 10 Women to Watch in Charity.
2017
Daily Mail Inspirational Women of the Year award.
2017
Forward Ladies National Awards London & the South-East regional winner of the Social Enterprise & Not for Profit category.
2016
600th Prime Minister’s Point of Light award in recognition of outstanding UK volunteers.
2016
The Shorty Awards recognising and celebrating innovation and creativity in digital and social media finalist On a Shoestring category.
2015
Asian Women of Achievement Awards highly commended finalist in the Social and Humanitarian category.
2015
Croydon Champions Volunteer of the Year.
