Top award for York Community Furniture Store in re-use 'Oscars'

A York charity has been recognised for its outstanding work following the December floods, which saw many families forced to leave their homes with their furniture and possessions ruined by contaminated water.  York Community Furniture Store was named Reuse Organisation of the Year in the Furniture Reuse Network’s 2016 annual awards.

The awards were announced at a national conference attended by those involved in recycling and reusing across the country, with over 200 organisations now holding membership of the Furniture Reuse Network.  The Community Furniture Store, which has branches in York, Selby and Scarborough, was nominated for an award following its work coordinating furniture for those displaced or rehomed in York, as well as managing furniture being donated to the people of York from every corner of the country.

“When news of the floods began to break, we knew that we’d be in the perfect position to offer assistance to households affected, but we had no idea of the scale of what would be needed – hundreds of people effectively rendered homeless within a 24 hour period as the waters rose,” comments Ruth Batty, Chief Officer of Community Furniture Store.  “As the scale of the emergency became clear, we worked closely with others providing relief, including Two Ridings Community Foundation, local volunteers and City of York Council, to focus our efforts, both in terms of co-ordinating and housing the huge influx of furniture donations, and ensuring that we could get help out into the community as quickly as possible.”

It is estimated that the workload of the staff and volunteers involved in the Community Furniture Store quadrupled at the height of the crisis, and yet Ruth observed not a single moan or complaint.  “I am so proud of our team – this award recognises the incredibly hard work they put in, and I know that I speak for many of the local residents that we helped when I say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone involved,” adds Ruth.

York’s Community Furniture Store’s focus has now returned to operating its normal services, providing low cost second hand furniture and new appliances to the people of York; though supporting people to return home remains a priority. The York Store is based at Unit 29 in the Raylor Centre in James Street, and is open Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm, and Saturdays from 9.00am to 4.00pm.  For more information, please visit www.communityfurniturestore.co.uk or call 01904 426444.

ENDS

For further media information or photographs, please contact:

Jay Commins

Pyper York Limited

Tel:         01904 500698

Email:    jay@pyperyork.co.uk