A FROME charity will start a furniture recycling scheme next year which will be ‘like a food bank for furniture’.
Fair Frome, which already runs the town’s busy food bank and other community projects, will set up an initiative providing people in need with free or low cost furniture.
The charity will help people who have been referred by organisations like the social services, housing associations, GPs and Citizens Advice Bureau, similarly to how the food bank already operates.
Chair of Fair Frome, Bob Ashford told Frome Times, “We are really optimistic about this project and hope to get it off the ground in the new year.
“We’ve been asked to do it by a variety of local organisations so we know there is a very real need in the town.
“We won’t know how big the need is until we get going, so the plan is to start off small then grow according to demand. There are other local organisations such as the Lions, Rotary and Carnival who also provide help and we’ve discussed potential plans, so we will definitely be working alongside them.”
The charity hopes local people will donate second hand furniture that can be reused, and says everything it hands out will be repaired if necessary and of ‘good quality’.
It hopes to be able to provide household items ranging from sofas, beds and drawers down to smaller things like cutlery and bedsheets.
“People are already offering us donations,” Bob said. “We’ve got a business plan, a stakeholder group, and some money! We just need a bit more cash and we’ll be getting started in the next few months.
“We hope local people will support the scheme. Furniture’s not a luxury – these are things people need. Many people who are lucky enough to get their own home will find it’s empty when they get there.
“There is a food bank to help put food on people’s plates, and we want to make sure they have the plates and tables to put it on and cutlery to eat it with.
“We’d be very grateful for any donations towards the scheme, and to hear from anyone who has a barn, shed or dry storage we might be able to keep items in.”
Find out more about Fair Frome or donate online at www.fairfrome.org.