This campaign has now closed
What would you do if your cooker broke down? Pop down to Argos or Comet and replace it? Some people don’t have the means to do this and have to go without..... unless they’ve heard about us. With the help of our 117 volunteers, we run 3 furniture projects In West Berkshire and Hampshire. We provide the simple link between people disposing of goods and those in desperate need of the same goods. We supply essential items such as cookers, beds and sofas to local people in need, helping them to prevent cycles of debt and make long term changes to their quality of life. We also offer both accredited and informal training to our volunteers, providing a safe place, particularly for those at a disadvantage, to build their confidence and skills, and we are seeking funding to allow us to continue to offer this training to our volunteers.
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We are lucky to have 117 volunteers, who last year donated over 29,000 hours of their time. Our “Training for You” programme, which provides training in practical, transferable skills such as woodworking, warehousing and furniture restoration is at the heart of what we do. Our training is accredited by a recognised awarding body, the National Open College Network. Modules are designed to be accessible to all levels of ability and are not time restricted. This is particularly beneficial to the 74% of our volunteers undergoing training who have physical and / or learning difficulties or mental health issues. Training is structured so that self belief and confidence are able to grow while new skills are being learned. In turn, these skills are then put to practical use to assist in the day to day running of the furniture projects. We are also particularly proud of our new Volunteer Mentoring scheme where volunteers are supported physically and emotionally by others, offering everyone meaningful volunteering opportunities, and the ability to develop their confidence and skills. The ongoing funding of our “Training for You” project will help us to run our existing training courses, expand the range of courses we offer and enable more people to increase their skills and confidence, with potential to enter or re-enter employment or further education.