Homes and Gardens / sofa project
Secondhand furniture shop launches call for donations
A furniture shop on Gloucester Road is urging people to donate their old items to help low income families.
SOFA Project has said many low-income families are struggling to afford new furniture, as prices for items such as sofas and washing machines have risen by 11 per cent in the last year alone.
The charity offers secondhand furniture at a more affordable price, upcycling items which are then either sold to the council or at the charity’s two Bristol shops on Gloucester Road and West Street, Old Market.
The project also offers work placement opportunities for people leaving Leyhill and Bristol prisons.
In the past, former prisoners have even made a spaceship for children out of recycled materials, using glass from an old overhead projector for the windows and a laundry basket for the rocket.
A spaceship made out of recycled materials – photo: SOFA Project
SOFA Project trustee, Keith Hicks estimated that the charity has prevented over half a million items from going to landfill since 1981.
Chief executive Nicci Peck said: “We are conscious that there will be a greater need over the coming months for the type of things we offer as families continue to feel the knock-on economic impact.
“In the last 6 months we’re seeing a lot of people going into the shops.”
He urged Bristolians to donate what they could, from sofas to white goods.
A free collection service is also offered by SOFA Project. All donations can be made through the charity’s website.
Main photo: Mickey Grant
Read more:
- Tips for household waste and recycling
- Plans to introduce waste disposal fees could lead to more fly-tipping
- ‘Library of Things’ hopes to open new site in south Bristol
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
