Project Wood Store Brighton – a new crowdfunding campaign for the city to embrace
Key points:
• Well-established and highly respected Brighton environmental charity needs help
• New crowdfunding campaign – range of rewards for donations
• Get involved to ensure the charity continues
Project Wood Store Brighton’s crowdfunding campaign is now live! The charity is asking the Brighton community to pledge its support, while appreciating that times are tough.
The Wood Store is a well-respected charity which was the first of its kind in the country when it set up in 1998. It recycles and reuses unwanted timber, thereby saving it from ending up in the waste stream. Reclaimed wood is sold at greatly reduced prices to the public. The charity also changes lives within the Brighton community by relieving unemployment and social exclusion. It provides jobs, volunteer opportunities and skills training for those who are disadvantaged or marginalised, giving them valuable skills and increased confidence, ready to join the jobs market.
During all three lockdowns, the support the charity offers has been especially important to those who are disadvantaged or marginalised. The Wood Store is also helping with local economic recovery - with timber in short supply now and construction projects under threat, their waste reducing approach is helping to meet the demand.
Steve Bannatyne, general manager of Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project (trading as The Wood Store) said, “We're really looking forward to welcoming people back to the Wood Store at our new home in Edward Street. Our work with volunteers, offering skills and training in a caring environment, is needed more than ever as so many seek to rebuild their lives in the wake of the pandemic. To help get the doors open, and provide some new equipment, we are appealing to those who know and value what we do so please dig deep and support our Crowdfunder today."
The Wood Store had to move in 2020
The Wood Store had to move out of its previous premises in Elder Place, Brighton, coincidentally at the beginning of the pandemic. The site was earmarked for housing.
They used a sorting yard in Clayhill, Ringmer, over the last year and a bit and managed to trade albeit with a skeleton staff and reduced delivery service. This had a huge impact on revenue, on the team’s morale, and on the charity’s activities.
Introducing the new Wood Store – Oakley House, Edward Street, Brighton
After a long search and many delays, they found new premises at Oakley House, Edward Street, Kemp Town. The site is pretty much that - a site! They've begun to refit, with the help of some wonderful volunteers who are busy refurbishing, cleaning and painting. They have some 5500 sq ft of space which will be all white with reclaimed scaffold. It'll be cladded with a feature wall, timber racks and a fully reclaimed kitchen. All the doors are reclaimed - there'll be no new wood in there at all.
The aim of the crowdfunding campaign
They are trying to raise £15,000 to cover the cost of refitting the new workshop.
The workshop is where volunteers will be trained. These are people finding it difficult to get back into mainstream employment, are from socially isolated backgrounds, or live with mental or physical illness or disability. All volunteers are expected to play an active role, helping others increase their skills and confidence too. They'll learn a variety of skills, depending on their abilities and capabilities, from office admin to making furniture. In 2019 The Wood Store trained 81 people.
“One of the things we do best is help trainees and volunteers who’ve been marginalised from the workforce through mental health problems, homelessness, alcohol or drug related issues through training and mentoring,” says Steve Bannatyne, “I’ve seen people come from the tail end of addiction, living in a halfway house, to fully rebuilding their lives free from past problems. Some go onto further education or return to a workforce after long-term isolation.
We offer a secure, structured, non-judgmental environment with a friendly team to help get to the next stage. Simply having a daily structure with start and finish times, a cup of tea and lunch as a team, can really boost confidence. It’s an essential part of rehabilitation and getting back into society without pressure. Many of our staff members were once marginalised and have gone onto build futures for themselves working with us and so have empathy, ready to support others."
How Brighton people can help
Any support given to raise their target will be hugely appreciated by everyone involved at The Wood Store, including volunteers and customers alike.
You can donate and see the rewards on offer on their Crowdfunder page here.