The County Durham Furniture Help Scheme Charity was an original idea of Newtonian Chris Palmer who has built the charity up from a one man band in the 70’s to the thriving operation it is today.
Chris had retired through ill health and saw the need. He constructed his own mobile vehicle to collect unwanted items from an old pram and bogey. He put an advert in Newton News and was inundated by requests for help and from people who wanted to donate goods.
Such is the need for people to be helped with low cost household items and furniture that the County Durham Furniture Help Scheme now assists over 2,000 families each month and have expanded to meet this ever increasing demand.
Based on the Chilton Industrial Estate, the Charity, first established in 1970 and re-launched as the CDFHS in 2004, is run by volunteers and helps families in need. The charity makes free collections across County Durham and neighbouring counties of furniture, household goods, carpets, clothes, bicycles, toys, disability appliances, gardening items, scrap metals, waste electrical and electronic equipment. Items are restored and refurbished and then available for a suitable donation (low cost) from its warehouse in Chilton.
Whilst open to members of the public, the charity has noted an increase in the number of families seeking support due to a number of factors, the current economic climate, and the drastic change in benefits system, bedroom tax, unemployment, financial struggles, housing and health issues. To meet this increase in demand the Charity has just opened its fourth showroom.
The team of 30+ volunteers at the charity (some of whom are disabled or sensory impaired) all give their time to ensure the charity runs and meets the ever increasing demands.
CDFHS has dedicated training programmes to help people of all ages improve their employability by helping them improve skills and gain new skills to help them into fruitful future employment or volunteering.
Founder Chris Palmer comments: “We rely on the generosity of the residents and businesses of County Durham and neighbouring Counties who have surplus or unwanted items to donate. At the moment we are very short of white goods as well as pots and pans – we are always short of cookers and washers”.
“Support from Durham County Council means that the reuse credits we receive for recycling goods has enabled us to deliver our expansion plans and to be a very active part of the local community.” said Chris.
If you are able to help or would like to find out more, please telephone CDFHS on 01388 721509 or visit; http://www.cdfhs.org.uk
