Guest Blog
01 September 2020
We are a local reuse charity. We supply good quality, affordable, pre-owned furniture to help turn houses into homes. If someone asks about our purpose, we say: “We’re passionate about the environment and helping those in need”. We also totally believe in the importance of community volunteering. Here is a short description of what we do and why.
Neil Coughlan is the manager at Furnistore.
What we do
The charity operates from a fully-stocked, two-storey warehouse in Redhill, open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm. We rely on the public donating ‘pre-loved’ furniture. You might say we give good homes to valued items no longer needed. We can arrange with donors a convenient time for our van to collect.
For donors who can drop off items we have pre-arranged times to reduce numbers in the warehouse at any one time. It also makes sure customers can park (call us on 01737 773133).
During Covid-19, Furnistore has had to adapt like all organisations and has been operating with a skeleton staff and volunteers. It’s been hard work but I’m proud of what the team has achieved. We are stringent with health and safety measures to ensure the safety of customers, staff and volunteers. When furniture arrives at the warehouse we clean it thoroughly before displaying on the shop floor.
Our purpose
Furnistore is a small charity with a big heart! Our purpose combines the social and environmental sides of the business in perfect harmony. On the one hand, we prevent waste by giving a new life to furniture that still has value. On the other, we supply many of our products at low or no cost to people in need.
We can provide essential furniture free of charge to those most in need and offer a 50% discount to customers on benefits.
We work with our local councils and welfare organisations to provide grants for customers who have been housed but have no furniture for their new home. Citizens Advice recently wrote about cases of this kind. We also provide essential items such as bedding, kitchen, and hygiene packs to help make their move as stress free as possible.
Volunteers
The third feature of Furnistore’s work is its strong contingent of volunteers. They are such a valued and integral part of the charity that without them we just wouldn’t exist.
We offer volunteering to all members of the community, including those with difficulties in a safe and nurturing environment. We have a dedicated volunteer coordinator who ensures each volunteer is in the best position for their skills, acts as mentor and provides training in areas such as communication and life skills, customer service and team building.
Furnistore in East Surrey Ltd
34 Holmethorpe Avenue, Redhill, RH1 2NL
01737 773133
www.furnistore.co.uk
www.facebook.com/FurnistoreInEastSurrey
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