Published on: Thursday 04 Oct 2018 at 09:41
We have joined forces with Harlow charity, Rainbow Services, in a furniture upcycling project!
Two local charities have collaborated in a furniture ‘upcycling’ project to renew and restore donated homeware to sell in aid of each organisation.
Harlow’s Rainbow Services and St Clare have joined forces in a mutually beneficial partnership to launch a collection of upcycled, donated furniture. The restored range of homeware will launch within the hospice’s brand-new vintage specialist shop, Scarlet Vintage & Retro, which is set to celebrate its Grand Opening event on Saturday 20th October 2018.
This remarkable partnership operates with the vital assistance of The Workshop at Rainbow Services: a community engagement programme that offers placements for CRC’s service-users to undertake their allocated community service hours in an environment that is truly community based, as well as mentoring and positive activities to vulnerable young people at risk of making negative life choices. The Workshop receives donated furniture and homeware items from St Clare, manually restoring them using carpentry and DIY skills. St Clare then donates 20% of sales profits to Rainbow Services after an item is purchased from Scarlet Vintage & Retro.
Commenting on the newfound partnership between these two local charities, Jemma Mindham, Rainbow Services’ Chief Executive Officer, said:
“Rainbow Services is really excited by this new partnership with St Clare Hospice, upcycling donated furniture to be sold on to raise money for the charity. This takes our Recycling Workshop, which is how our charity launched nearly 21 years ago, to a new level for all of our service-users, ensuring not only that they are able to learn and apply new skills in a practical way but that they are giving to a worthy community cause at the same time. The first few items, which have been completed, have shown the service-users and our staff and volunteers just what they are capable of, and have raised levels of self-esteem and team spirit. Everyone is raring to go and ready for more!”
Jason Shaves, a Workshop Supervisor at Rainbow Services, added:
“It’s been really great working with St Clare Hospice on this project. The service-users of both the adult project and the young people’s project are really enthusiastic and proud to be part of the upcycling project, and have said that upcycling furniture is a skill that can really help them in the future. St Clare’s drivers deliver up to 3 new items, and collect items that have been completed, and we are getting really good feedback from the drivers and from St Clare!”
A service-user attending The Workshop at Rainbow Services commented:
“I am getting very involved in the Upcycling project and although the stripping down is hard work, the finished article makes it all worthwhile. It’s really good to know that our work is helping out a great charity like St Clare Hospice.”
St Clare Hospice’s Head of Retail, Fiona Eaton, also added:
“We are absolutely overjoyed by the incredible support we have received from Rainbow Services in creating stunning, one-off items of furniture for our brand-new, vintage shop! The service-users work on restoring and renewing homeware that has been donated to St Clare has honestly been incredible – they are so very talented and are channelling their skills into supporting St Clare to provide our specialist, palliative care to all those who need us throughout West Essex and East Herts. The upcycled furniture is completely unrecognisable and absolutely gorgeous – we know that the collection will be hugely successful when it goes on sale! Thank you, Rainbow Services!”
Visit Scarlet Vintage & Retro at our Grand Opening event!
You are cordially invited to join us in celebrating the grand opening of our brand-new store, Scarlet Vintage & Retro, on Saturday 20th October 2018.
Witness the cutting of the ribbon, and official opening of the store, at 11am by Rob Halfon MP – and then shop the launch collection and experience the finished shop as one of its first customers!
Find out more, here: stclarehospice.org.uk/event/scarlet-vintage-retro-grand-opening
