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Thread Together social impact evaluation project Thread Together social impact evaluation project

Social Impact Evaluation of Thread Together Brisbane

Anglicare Southern Queensland is undertaking a social impact evaluation of our Thread Together clothing hub and mobile wardrobe services in the Greater Brisbane area.

Thread Together is an Australian-based charity that was established around the idea that unsold clothing should be made available to people in need rather than ending up in landfill, bringing fashion brands together with volunteers and charities to keep new clothing in circulation.

Thread Together volunteers with new dress.

The project

This is a research and evaluation project focused on the social impact of Brisbane’s Thread Together Clothing Hub and Mobile Wardrobe. The research and evaluation will be undertaken by academics at The University of Queensland and Anglicare’s Research Evaluation & Advocacy team in partnership with Brisbane’s Thread Together at St Andrew’s Anglican Church of Indooroopilly.

The project will help better understand the operations and impact of Brisbane’s Thread Together Clothing Hub and Mobile Wardrobe for clients, volunteers, and the wider community, asking the following questions:

  • Does Brisbane’s Thread Together Clothing Hub and Mobile Wardrobe have adequate inputs to contribute to the smooth operation of processes to facilitate clothing collection and distribution?
  • Has Brisbane’s Thread Together Clothing Hub and Mobile Wardrobe achieved the outcomes of increased access to clothing, enhanced wellbeing, community resilience, and environmental sustainability for clients and volunteers?

Ethics approval has been granted by The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee {Ethics ID number: 2025/HE002177}.

The team

This research and social impact evaluation brings together a team of social researchers and Anglicare staff:

Ana Stevenson - Mission, Research and Advocacy
Dr Ana Stevenson
Senior Advisor – Research and Evaluation

Dr Ana Stevenson is Anglicare’s Senior Advisor – Research and Evaluation. After receiving her PhD in history from The University of Queensland in 2015, she held academic appointments at the University of the Free State, James Cook University, and the University of Southern Queensland. Her multidisciplinary expertise spans humanities and social sciences methodologies, including qualitative and mixed-methods research. With funding from the Australian Research Council and South Africa’s National Research Foundation, her research interests include social movements, digital archives, education, media, and knowledge translation.

Leanne Wood - Mission, Research and Advocacy
Leanne Wood
Manager, Research Evaluation & Advocacy

Leanne Wood is the Manager – Research, Evaluation and Advocacy at Anglicare Southern Queensland. She has worked at Anglicare for more than a decade in research, policy and advocacy roles, drawing on previous experience across diverse projects in the government, academic, education and private sectors. Her experience managing, and participating in, Australian Research Council- and government-funded research teams, gave rise to Leanne’s longstanding interest in the multiple facets of individual and community wellbeing, as well as qualitative methods for enhancing participant voice.

Paula Lewis - Mission, Research and Advocacy
Paula Lewis
Thread Together Volunteer Coordinator

Paula Lewis is the Thread Together Volunteer Coordinator, working between St Andrew’s Anglican Church at Indooroopilly and Anglicare’s Corporate Office. Paula has many years of volunteer coordination experience across a range of diverse community projects, and is passionate about conservation, recycling, upcycling and all things good for the planet. Her conservation interests are reflected in her PhD studies, encompassing human-wildlife coexistence and the application of ethics into wildlife management and public policy.

Sarah Marris - Mission, Research and Advocacy
Sarah Marris
Strategic Advocacy Lead

Sarah Marris is our Strategic Advocacy Lead. Sarah has qualifications in health science, media communications and human services. She has experience working in the disability sector across a diverse range of projects, both community education and engagement. With a strong background in relationship building and significant experience in advocacy and communications, Sarah is passionate about elevating the voice of those with lived experience.

Jason Fernandez
Jason Fernandez
Research Assistant (Master of Social Work (Qualifying) placement student)
Woman looking at clothes at the Thread Together hub.

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking Thread Together clients, volunteers, and staff to participate in data collection for this research and evaluation project.

Data collection will take place using a survey with Thread Together clients, focus groups with stakeholders including Thread Together volunteers, and interviews with Anglicare and Thread Together Australia staff. This research and evaluation project will be contextualised within local and regional efforts to establish a circular economy of fashion.

For the Participant Information Sheets and Consent Forms, please download the following documents:

Two Anglicare workers in office working on computer

The outputs

Further details about reporting and research outputs will be added as the project progresses.

Get in touch

For more details, please reach out to Research Evaluation & Advocacy at Anglicare Southern Queensland: [email protected].