Post by Archie who runs No Throw Party Kit Hire
Archie, 15, is one of the youngest to run a party kit in the Party Kit Network. Together with his mum Cara, Archie launched No Throw Party Kit Hire in January 2020. Based in Camberley, they are helping their local community reduce waste at parties while raising money for Archie’s school trip in 2021.
My name is Archie Grant and I’m 15 years old. I am a young actor, a massive football fan and a roller coaster enthusiast.
Fundraising for my school trip
I have set up a party kit for my local community to fundraise for a school trip to New York in 2021. The trip is a creative arts trip which will support my Photography and Drama GCSE studies. We will be seeing a Broadway show and also have the chance to attend a Broadway acting workshop.
It is such an amazing opportunity, but I need to self-fund it so my Mum and I started looking for ideas of how I could raise the money. I am quite entrepreneurial so we thought the idea of setting up a little business would be something I would enjoy.
Discovering the party kit concept
My mum came to me with the idea of the party kit concept having seen posts on Facebook about the Party Kit Network. I thought it was an excellent idea that would massively help the environment and, if we could get it right, it would also be a brilliant way of raising money for my trip.
I have a 6-year-old sister and knew that reusable partyware would be a great alternative to single-use disposables at her parties and felt confident that people would value the opportunity to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill....because one party can generate a lot of waste!
Making a positive environmental impact
My mum and I knew we wanted to do something which was relatively easy and not too costly to set up. We had thought the idea of hiring something out would be perfect, we just had to find the right product.
I was also very keen to do something environmentally friendly - partly because I am conscious that my generation needs to do a much better job of looking after the planet, but also because flying to New York isn’t the most environmentally-friendly thing to do so I wanted to do something to offset the impact of my trip.
As soon as we came across the concept of hiring out reusable partyware we knew it was perfect; it ticked all boxes.
Running my own business
I am studying Business Studies for GCSE so starting up my own business is going to be really useful for supporting my studies. I am learning about business plans, marketing, setting price points, tax, insurance, customer service… all the elements needed for a successful business.
Having the Party Kit Network community available for support has made the process of setting up my party kit No Throw much easier. We haven’t felt on our own and have received lots of valuable advice from other party kit owners based around the UK.
Making eco-conscious decisions
My mum and I have always tried to be eco-conscious at home. We try to reuse and repurpose everything we can and only buy new when absolutely necessary. We avoid single-use plastics and only use non-toxic products.
I also try to walk as much as I can rather than jumping in the car for short journeys. I think it is vitally important for young people to make changes because it is our future which is at risk if we don’t.
Inspiring change
At school we have an eco committee and I would say all of us are becoming more conscious of our carbon footprint and how our choices can affect it. In 2018 our school canteen went completely plastic free and all of our school events are planned with thought for the environment.
Electric cars and charity shopping are becoming the cool choice amongst my friends and almost everyone I know is ditching single-use plastics.
I am proud that my generation wants to do better for the environment and proud that I am able to do my bit by running No Throw Party Kit Hire.
If Archie's story has inspired you to set up your own party kit, download our Get Started Guide
The Party Kit Network has paid to offset 1.66 tonnes of CO2 emissions for Archie's return flight to New York with Climate Care who are a Gold Standard strategic partner supporting projects which tackle climate global climate change and improve lives.
All images are copyright of Archie & Cara Grant or the Party Kit Network and used with permission.
