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The Furniture Recycling Project in Gloucester is delighted to announce that the Tudor Trust has awarded them a grant of £50,000 over two years. This generous grant will help to support the costs of the Project’s electrical department.  

The Furniture Recycling Project (FRP) is a charity who works to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged households throughout Gloucestershire by providing donated reuse furniture and electrical items for sale at low-cost.  

The electrical department, which was severely affected by the flooding of 2007, is now gradually returning to its normal activities after being without a home for nearly two years. This funding will help with its sustainability during the period of the funding.  

A number of positive impacts are derived from the work that the electrical department does. For example, a positive environmental impact is that by reusing around 750 electrical goods a year, we are saving approximately 25 tonnes of electrical waste from the waste stream, and reducing carbon emissions by 225 tonnes. A positive social impact is that low-income families are able to purchase low-cost electrical goods that saves them money and keeps them from going into debt. The low-cost electrical goods are very popular with our customers; many times electrical items will be sold within just hours of arriving on our shop floor.  

Our electrical department also trains young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). In this department, the young people receive training in electrical appliance testing, electrical safety, workshop and warehouse safety, and basic skills. Around half of these young people go on to further training, apprenticeships, or employment by the time they finish their training programme with the Project.  

Chris Wadge of the electrical department said, “this grant is great news for the electrical department as this will give us some security for the future. It will allow us to secure premises for another couple of years, as well as let us invest in new equipment. It also means that we can continue both our electrical testing work, and the training of the young people who come to us for an experience of working in a real-world working environment.”  

The Tudor Trust is an independent grant-making trust that supports organisations working across the UK. They provide funding in order to encourage organisations to find new ways of tackling deep-rooted problems or to cope with difficult situations. The Tudor Trust said we are “impressed with your [Furniture Recycling Project] approach and can see the positive outcomes of the work, including the training and support to people with a variety of needs, as well as the environmental benefits from recycling furniture and goods.”

The Furniture Recycling Project (FRP), which has recently relocated from Edinburgh Place to the Lower High Street, has seen a significant increase in trade following its recent opening.  

To date, despite the poor weather at the beginning of 2010, which delayed the opening of the shop there has been over 550 items supplied to approximately 250 different households in the area in 5 weeks. This compares with 345 items supplied in during a similar period in 2009, an increase of some 60%.

There has also been an increase in numbers of items donated, rising to over 450 from a figure of 370 in 2009, removing more items from the waste stream.  

Ian Ellis, Chief Executive of FRP comments “We have been fully aware for the need to develop the service to accommodate the greater population of the Borough and surrounding area for some time; the initial data has confirmed our belief that our service to the wider community is very much needed. It is also pleasing to see so many of our existing customers have been to the new shop to wish our staff good luck and also making purchases from a wider stock range. Although it was a very low key start to the shop opening, no flags being waved or expensive advertising the figures prove its worth. The new shop is smart and welcoming and not what one would associate with a charity. We are sure that as it becomes better known, it will be an ever greater asset to the community”.

The Furniture Recycling Project in Gloucester is delighted to announce that the Gloucestershire Criminal Justice Board has awarded them a grant of £20,000 through the Community Cashback Awards. This generous grant will help to support the costs of the Project’s training department.

While the Furniture Recycling Project (FRP) may be best known for providing low-cost furniture and electrical goods to disadvantaged people across Gloucestershire, the Project’s Training Centre  provides valuable training opportunities to disadvantaged 16-18 year olds who are classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). There is a great need to get these young people back into education, employment, or training, but with these tough economic times the numbers of NEETs are rising. The training department of the Furniture Recycling Project is proud to provide unique and successful training opportunities to this group of young people. The Project provides the young people with real-life vocational work experience opportunities in warehousing, retail, delivery, administration, woodworking, and electrical repair. The department also provides education and qualifications in maths, English, key skills, and IT. Lastly, the programme provides mentoring support and assists the young people in building their confidence so that they can aspire to realise their potential.

Christine Nash, Deputy Chief Executive and Training Manager of FRP said, "We are delighted to be awarded this grant of £20,000 by  the Gloucestershire Criminal Justice Board. We believe that the work that our training department does is invaluable for the young people. We know that FRP can offer real, life-changing experiences for them, and give them skills and qualifications to improve their prospects and social mobility.  Because of this funding, we are able to continue to provide the young people with opportunities to develop as individuals, and to learn work based skills.”

Mrs. Nash continues, “We have seen the numbers of young people coming onto our programme increase in the past year because of these difficult economic times. We are proud to support these young people through this recession by giving them the best chances at succeeding in life. Thanks to the generous support of the Gloucestershire Criminal Justice Board, we are able to continue our successful work.”

The Community Cashback Award is a new scheme in England and Wales that gives local people a say in how £4 million of recovered criminal assets (for example confiscated cash or property) should be spent in their communities. The Furniture Recycling Project is one of 269 projects in the Country and one of 4 in Gloucestershire who received funding through this round of the Community Cashback Awards.

Are you a taxpayer? If you are, you are eligible to help us gain some extra income through the Gift Aid scheme when you donate items to us. Gift Aid is a way for the Furniture Recycling Project to claim back a bit of the tax that you have already paid so that the donation of your items brings more income than the sale price. For every £1 we get for your furniture and electrical items, we can claim back 28p from Inland Revenue. You do not need to do anything apart from sign the form and say you agree to let us claim the Gift Aid income. Participating does not affect your tax. By signing the gift aid declaration, you are helping to both run our charity, and ensure the continuation of our free collection service.  

Please complete the Gift Aid form (link supplied here) and give it to the driver upon collection of your items. If you are not going to be present during the collection, please leave the form with the items to be collected.

 Thank you from the entire Furniture Recycling Team

The Furniture Recycling Project in Gloucester are delighted to announce that BBC Children in Need have awarded them a grant of £21, 173 over two years. This grant will fund basic employment training for young people, and will continue to help change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.  

The Furniture Recycling Project is one of the many projects in the UK who have received a grant in the first of four rounds made possible by the generous support of the public in 2008, which amounted to a record breaking Appeal Night total of £20,991,216! The Furniture Recycling Project would like to thank the thousands of donors, fundraisers and organisations who ‘did something different’ and contributed to the campaign!  

Along with being a furniture reuse organisation that provides low-cost furniture to disadvantaged people across Gloucestershire, the Furniture Recycling Project also provides training to disadvantaged 16-18 year old young people who are not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). There are currently 393 young people classified as NEET in Gloucester, and according to the Princes Trust Report (2007), being in the NEET category between the ages of 16-18 is a major predictor of later unemployment, low income, depression, and poor physical health. The Project engages the young people, and provides them with work experience and confidence, which helps them to move on to employment, education, or training. The Project is unique in that it provides these young people real-life work experiences in warehousing, retail, delivery, administration, woodworking, and electrical repair. Along with these experiences, our training department also provides these young people with support in literacy and numeracy, IT, and other key skills. With the support of BBC Children in Need, The Furniture Recycling Project will be able to continue to reach out to the young people of Gloucestershire by funding the training department so that they can continue to carry out their important work.

Ian Ellis, Chief Executive of FRP said "We are extremely pleased that Children in Need are supporting FRP for the next two years. FRP can offer real life-changing experiences for young people, and at the same time enable them to contribute positively to their community. This funding will help us continue to provide a valuable opportunity to the young people in developing both as individuals and in gaining experience that will help them develop work related skills. I am always amazed at their positive attitude, despite in some cases having significant barriers, and believe that these young people can offer a great deal to our communities."

Ian Ellis, Chief Executive of FRP adds“ Given the continual rise in the unemployment of our young people especially during these difficult economic times, we could not reach out to the young people of Gloucestershire without the support of BBC Children in Need. This grant will go on to change the lives of so many children and give them the support they so desperately need.”  

David Ramsden, Chief Executive of BBC Children in Need, said “Our grants are made possible by the amazing generosity of the public. They make it possible for us to help such great projects as the Furniture Recycling Project continue to help change young lives for the better.”

Since November, the BBC charity has received thousands of applications for funding. These are rigorously assessed and considered in the months leading up to April by eight committees who pass on their recommendations to thes trustees of the charity.  

All grants go to projects workin with children and young people who may be affected by homelessness, neglect, abuse or poverty, or those who have encountered serious illness, disabilities and psychological disorders.

The Furniture Recycling Project (FRP) is pleased to announce that it has received £50,000 in funding from the Hardship Fund, a £16.7 million government funded grant programme through the Office of the Third Sector and managed by the Community Development Foundation.   Acknowledged as one of the leading Projects in the UK, FRP has provided approximately 150,000 items of recycled furniture and electrical items to Gloucestershire’s community since 1996 from its shops in Gloucester and Cheltenham  

Having recently recovered from the 2007 floods, following the re-launch of its electrical repair centre, FRP had experienced some difficult times since the onset of the recession in trying to maintain low costs to its customers, whilst retaining the levels of service.  

Ian Ellis Chief Executive says “We were considering having to review our pricing structure to ensure that we were able to maintain the levels of service and with this grant, we will be in a position to retain our current price levels until at least September 2010.   We estimate that 12,000 individuals will benefit from the provision of our service within this period, as we anticipate that we will visit over 5,000 properties during this period, either to collect donations or to deliver.”  

He adds “Due to the increased levels of unemployment within Gloucestershire Nationally; “unemployment increased by 88,000 in the three months to August to 2.47 million, with 12,370 still out of work in Gloucester – 5,963 more than at the same time last year. “Extract from the South West Business.co.uk  Oct 29, 2009”, we expect a continued growth in demand for our services.   “As well as a need for our core service, we are now seeing a significant increase in numbers of trainees (aged 16-18) who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) joining our programme. Following the start of the new academic year (August 2009 – October 2009), we are already supporting 61% of the total numbers of the learners that were provided training in the whole of last year. Given this major increase in numbers, we could potentially be increasing our training provision by some 140%.”   I

f you would like to find our more about the Furniture Recycling Project, please visit www.frpglos.org.uk

To donate, please telephone 01452 302303 or 01242 220296

For training information, please ring 01452 524333           

The Furniture Recycling Project is desperate for white goods – with the project's chief executive saying the credit crunch has led to goods selling out as soon as they are put in their shops.

The charity takes second hand furniture and electrical goods, restores them and sells them on through their store at Grosvenor House in Gloucester and Hester's Way in Cheltenham.

Ian Ellis, chief executive, said: "As soon as we get hold of any white goods, we sell them.

"If you put them into either of our shops, they sell within a couple of hours. If we had 30 washing machines a week we would sell them easily.

"The demand for these goods has always been high, but it is even more so at the moment."

The project still has a small stock of televisions to renovate and sell, but has run out of other appliances completely.

Ian believes that the current economic climate has a lot to do with the huge demand.

He said: "A year and more ago, people on low incomes would have applied for credit if they wanted a new washing machine or television.

"However, since the credit crunch, it is much harder to get a loan and people are having to reevaluate.

"They are coming to us, and we are struggling to keep up with demand."

It is estimated the project has renovated more than 120,000 items of furniture and electrical goods since it began in 1996. Anyone who has any second-hand electrical items should call 01452 302 303.

Items should be in basic working order, and will be given a clean and renovation at the project's electrical goods base at Glevum Works, Upton Street, Barton.

They are then sold through the shops, at Grosvenor House at Gloucester Bus Station and at Coronation Square in Hester's Way, Cheltenham.

Ian Ellis, Chief Executive of the Furniture Recycling Project says “We have developed this system in partnership with Urban Element, a specialist IT Company based in Witney.

The system has provided us with significant opportunities to improve our customer service since it was put into operation earlier in the year. Not only does it enable us to support our customers and donors much more effectively, it also provides us with a wide range of reports to enable us to manage the charity more effectively.

We are now in a position to work with other similar organisations throughout the UK who would benefit from using this unique system.”  

Jon Ellard, Marketing Director for Urban Element adds “We have enjoyed working with Ian and his team over the last 18 months. We are thrilled that the Collection and Delivery web application has been such a success.

When we were first approached by FRP, we could see just how beneficial a system like this would be. FRP was trying to collate data from 5 locations and were spending a lot of time on their paper-based systems. The new web application is easy-to-use and fulfils all requirements set out at the beginning of the project. We hope to be able to help other projects like FRP with a scalable web application."

For further details please visit the R3 Online Website.