Furniture project

The Furniture Project is the brainchild of the West Kent Housing Association. It is managed by West Kent's community development charity, West Kent Extra. Its main aim is to provide affordable items for people looking to furnish their home on a limited budget.

As a bonus, the project is able to recycle unwanted materials and help the environment.

The project collects items from anywhere in the Sevenoaks district, sells them on to the public and tenants of the association, with deliveries costing around £5. There is an expert on hand, who has a workshop on site where he transforms old items of furniture into useable pieces.

The site also provides a location for a youth engagement project, working in partnership with Kent Youth Service and with the local Wildernesse School. It is hoped in future to provide vocational training and work experience placements.

Benefits

• Sevenoaks Council pays recycling credits (totalling about £4K annually), as the items would otherwise end up in landfill sites. All income raised by the project is reinvested in West Kent Extra's community activities
  supporting children, families & pensioners across Sevenoaks.
• The scheme provides a small number of jobs for local people and volunteers are always welcome to get involved, to help where they can.