Green award for furniture scheme

A scheme which provides a new home in the Borough for that old wardrobe or kitchen table has just won a major green award for the number of needy families it has helped across Cheshire East and further afield.

Supported by Cheshire East Council, the Cheshire Furniture Reuse Forum collects unwanted furniture and appliances and sells them at low cost to families and residents in need.

The forum collected 600 tonnes of items last year which then went to 13,000 households across the Borough and neighbouring Cheshire West and Chester.

The hard work of staff and volunteers has rewarded the forum with a Green Apple Environment Award for best practice.

The forum competed with 500 other nominations to secure the award, which will be officially recognised and presented at a special ceremony in the Houses of Parliament in November.

The Green Apple Awards, which began in 1994, are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution for Waste Management and a number of other independent bodies.

The Cheshire Furniture Reuse Forum is supported by Cheshire East Council and delivered by its wholly-owned company ANSA Enivronmental Services in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester.

The forum has achieved a 22 per cent year on year increase in reuse, with recycling up by 50 per cent. The number of households helped through the scheme has risen by 13 per cent, staff numbers have increased by 11 per cent and the income retained within the local economy has increased by seven per cent.

The project supports individuals and families at a time of most need, accessing furniture they otherwise could not afford and providing furniture in emergency situations.

It also reduces the volume going to landfill, whilst also creating employment, volunteering and training opportunities.

Naomi Graham, coordinator for the Cheshire Furniture Reuse Forum, said: "No-one wants to see their much-loved item going to landfill if it could go to help and be appreciated by another family.

"This award acknowledges the hard work of the staff and volunteers across all the projects who make sure that preloved items can be used by others."

People wishing to donate their unwanted household items can have them collected free. They can access the forum's web site at
www.cfrf.org.uk
or email: naomi@cfrf.org.uk

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