Upcycling group helping furniture scheme charity

The group has been set up by volunteers to ultimately help increase fundraising for Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme to assist in the financial running of both their warehouse and shop in Shrewsbury. 

At the same time, the group’s upcycling is helping to save items of furniture from landfill, giving pieces a new lease of life and providing the volunteer members with their own set of valuable skills. 

An upcycler is a person who takes old or discarded materials and creatively transforms them into new products with a higher value or improved function, essentially giving them a ‘second life’ by repurposing them instead of throwing them away.

Project co-ordinator Richard Lawley said: “We want to save as much furniture from landfill as we can – but there are limits. At the moment, the focus is very much on restoration of furniture belonging to individual members of the group who want to preserve their own pieces. 

“Members of the group are all very keen to give items of furniture a ‘second life’ by repurposing them instead of throwing them away. “At the same time, we are giving each of them the skills to enrich their lives and in time we hope to offer an upcycling service to the public which will then be an asset to the scheme’s need to raise funds.”

The group is comprised of individuals who had expressed an interest in trying to upcycle themselves and this had also coincided with Veolia giving the scheme a grant of £1,000. 

This has been spent on providing basic tools and materials for use both at Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme’s warehouse in Monkmoor Road, Shrewsbury, and its shop in the town’s Castle Street. 

The group was formed a year ago and currently has five members who have since joined at different times and meet weekly for three hours on a Friday in a workshop at the scheme’s spacious warehouse. 

“We don’t charge people who come on the programme,” Richard explained. “All we ask is they volunteer some of their own time to help out in the warehouse or the shop.”

As a result of the scheme the sales value of an item has increased from £5 to £50 which has considerably boosted the charity’s fundraising ratio. 

Longest serving member of the group is Mia Lan who lives in Monkmoor. She is currently restoring an early 20th century library chair – one of a pair that have been donated - with barley twist decorative detail.

She was subsequently joined by Brenda Rainford of Underdale who was interested in learning how to upcycle furniture as a novice. “I had done some upcycling at home on my own furniture, but not very successfully. I wanted to learn how to do it properly,” she explained. 

“I particularly like the idea of things not going into landfill and making some money for the charity.” 

She is working on a pair of bedside tables with the idea of making them more attractive and saleable. “This has given me the chance to use my imagination in terms of keeping natural wood. 

“Everything is all new and it’s very satisfying. The best thing is meeting these ladies in the group both here and socially.” Cammy Paull, who lives in Monkmoor Road, said: “This is something I’ve always wanted to do. I watch the TV programmes, The Repair Shop and Money for Nothing, which got me interested in saving furniture. 

“I’ve been in the group for five months and have enjoyed meeting other people for friendship as well as enjoying something I hoped I could do. 

“It all helps the main purpose of the charity which is to assist in furnishing the homes of people in need.” 

She was upcycling a kitchen cupboard which she would be painting and waxing. She was also hoping to re-upholster a kitchen chair. 

Loryn Loveland, of Castlefields, is two months into the group and working on a bedroom chair which she said would otherwise have gone to landfill. 

She was restoring the chair by traditional methods and was able to re-use some of the stuffing from the cushioning. “It’s providing a lot of personal satisfaction, rescuing something and achieving something. 

“I’m also meeting amazing people all doing the same thing.” 

She was confident the experience would help her to cover chairs at home, rescuing items which she planned to do. 

The team is hoping to form a second group meeting on a Monday and anyone interested could contact the shop on 01743 236382. Alternatively, email: sfsshopshrewsbury@gmail.com.