Helping those in need: Inside Newbury’s Community Furniture Project

The Community Furniture Project is a charity focused on providing help to those less fortunate, writes Martha White.

Far more than just a charity shop, this Newbury-based organisation is a lifeline for people in crisis.

Its process of recycling items and selling them at a low-value helps to change the lives of many across the area.

At the centre in Bone Lane, the project takes donated household goods - beds, cookers, washing machines, fridges and kitchenware - and ensures they reach people moving into emergency or temporary accommodation.

Through its ‘Essential Housing Goods Scheme’, these items are provided free of charge to families and individuals referred by social workers, housing officers or local agencies.

Around 60 to 70% of referrals come directly from West Berkshire Council.

Another key focus of the project is to provide training for adults with learning disabilities, as well as young people, students from schools and adults with mental health issues.

The project trains 50 people a year under a system called LEAP (Learning, Employability and Progression), which works on the basis that ‘’everything’s incremental’’.

Those on the course gain credits towards qualifications, which range from entry level certificate to a certificate, then to a diploma.

Chief executive Kelvin Hughes said: ‘’For the training we focus on the people who don’t have the confidence to engage, because it is quite difficult.”

Mr Hughes plays a key role in the day to day running of the project. Having worked there for the past 21 years, he has worked alongside many others, all helping to make a difference.

He said his role at the project means that he must be able to adapt quickly in certain circumstances.

‘’If somebody was detained under the Mental Health Act and got released all of a sudden and given accommodation, we’d need to react now,” he said.

And he places a key focus on support for families.

“If you’re a family that’s been in distress, who have become homeless for whatever reason, and you’re moving into a hotel or temporary accommodation, there’s nothing nicer than knowing the bedding that you’re giving your kids is new,” he added.

Every day, goods are donated to the Community Furniture Project.

These goods are then supplied to people who want them in three different ways - you can buy and pay the higher price or pay a lower price if you’re on benefits or if you are either a pensioner or full time student.

All donated goods must meet the safety standards of the project.

“One of the biggest issues we have is people might want to donate something to us, and we have to refuse it because it doesn’t meet current trading standards,” Mr Hughes said.

“If it doesn’t, we cannot pass it on.

“It doesn’t matter if you tell me you only bought it yesterday, if it’s got no safety tag on it I can’t take it.”

These precautions will help to ensure that furniture sold or passed on is entirely safe for use.

At the projects’ warehouse, retired mechanic Joe Rosselli, 77, offers his time to guide learners through new skills, such as fixing household appliances.

“These guys come in to learn social skills,” he said. “And I’ve been very lucky. We have lots of adults with learning disabilities, and young people and a lot of people on the autism spectrum - they like process.

“So whether it just be taking something apart, it’s a process.”

A team of six volunteer bike mechanics also work at the warehouse year-round, refurbishing around 2,500 bikes annually.

Most bikes come from the recycling centre or are dropped off by residents. The project partners with schools to provide bikes to children for Bikeability training and also to children who otherwise wouldn’t have one.

The project also runs a kitchen, where they cook meals every day for around 40 people.

It was set up during the Covid pandemic when the local food bank had to close down.

“We had to step in and run it for a few months and we noticed there’s a lot of frozen food going about, so that’s why we have this,” Mr Hughes added.

The kitchen now sources surplus food from supermarkets and works with local charities, including Newbury Soup Kitchen and Eight Bells for Mental Health, so that people can go in and take what they need.

Thousands of donated books are also sold, either through the shop or online via World of Books.

And there is also an outlet for all the volunteers and trainees - football.

A Community Furniture Project team plays in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire social inclusion football league and for the past two years, they’ve been conference champions.

If you want to volunteer, donate items or spread the word, you can contact the warehouse on 01635 43933 or email at enquiries@cfpnewbury.org

Every day, the Community Furniture Project is helping the local community and the work is proof that community action combined with compassion can transform lives for the better.