Now! charity opens new community shed in Hailsham

The Mayor cut the ribbon with CEO Manon and declared the Furniture Now! Now Charity Community Shed open.

Both the Mayor, Councillor Paul Holbrook and Chair of the Charity, Gordon Sims expressed their hopes for the future of the project.

Gordon said: “At Furniture Now! Our vision is of a thriving community, free of local poverty, where equality and sustainability are at the forefront of our values.”

The aim is that the project will bring members of the community together to socialise and offer their experience or to learn to upcycle small wooden items for resale in the shop.

Mayor Holbrook said: “There are lots of people on benefits struggling at the moment and this is the type of place that is perfect and unique for them to come to.”

Furniture Now! supplies low-cost and reused household furniture and appliances, from sofas and dining sets to washing machines and freezers, as well as small household items.

They are committed to re-using as much as possible, including electrical items. Their dual pricing policy offers even better value to those on benefits.

Lead volunteer, Dean Little will be running the Community Shed and will be helping to get it established. His background is in landscape gardening and he came to the project through the Action in Rural Sussex organisation.

The Community Shed is designed to offer a safe space to socialise, learn new skills, make new friends, while upcycling pre-loved furniture and the Now! Charity is looking forward to seeing unique upcycled furniture in the shop in the near future.

If you are interested in helping, please take the opportunity to go in and talk to any member of staff. If you have any small wooden items to donate, for example lampstands, picture frames, bedside tables, dining chairs, please take them into the shop at 9 Hailsham High Street, opposite the post office.

Equally, if you need any small or large furniture like beds, settees or electrical goods, pop in and browse. It is all of a very good quality and very reasonably priced. If you can help towards financing the project please visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/hailsham-community-shed.