"Once again, a million thanks from both of us...we will always be so very grateful for all that you have obtained for us. We would never have been able to afford these items new."
During
2003/2004 we helped over 4,000 people to furnish or update their homes.
We received and distributed almost 7,300 donations of various types of
furniture and household items.
We
estimate that 86,000kg of material was diverted from landfill as a result
of our efforts with a consequent saving on raw materials. We handled,
amongst other things,110 double beds, 295 single beds, 196 chests of drawers,
339 armchairs and 253 settees.
Items
of furniture, furnishings, cookers and fridges donated to us are collected
free. As most items are offered by telephone, our van drivers are authorised
to politely decline to accept any items they do not feel we would be able
to pass on.
Customers
must prove their entitlement to an income based benefit or be formally
referred to us on the basis of need. A charge is made for goods purchased
which are then delivered free of charge to the customer's home.
Some items of furniture we are unable to re-use, perhaps because its useful life is ended, or the item is too big for modern homes and flats, or it fails safety requirements or even because it does not fit in with modern lifestyles.
All
the items we redistribute must comply with current legislation. All upholstered
goods must be seen to comply with the Furniture & Furnishings (Fire)(
Safety) Regulations 1988 or later. We are unable, therefore, to accept
soft furnishings which do not have the appropriate safety tag attached.
All electrical and gas appliances are safety checked by fully qualified
engineers. All white goods (cookers etc.) must be in working order. Currently,
over 60% of appliances fail the safety testing and we have to dispose
of them.
We
have no facilities to repair or clean any of the goods donated.
As a registered charity, our aim is to be self sustaining as far as possible.. The charge we make for each item contributes to the running costs of the project and, incidentally, helps avoid the social stigma often wrongly associated with using a charity.