Emmaus charity shop gets a facelift to show recycling in action

Emmaus Preston community members Andrew New, Marc Bamber and Anthony Moss in the Fishergate charity storeEmmaus Preston community members Andrew New, Marc Bamber and Anthony Moss in the Fishergate charity store

As Recycle Week gets underway, formerly homeless people supported by local charity Emmaus Preston, have teamed up to transform their Fishergate store.

Over the past two weeks the Fishergate store has received a full refurbishment and restock of good quality items donated to the charity.

The large store has two floors stocked with vintage and modern furniture, household items, boutique clothing, bric-a-brac and kitchen appliances.

Andrew New, one of 22 people supported by Emmaus Preston, said: “It’s been really good to be part of the shop refurbishment and the difference is massive.

“We’ve had to work really hard to get it ready, but everyone chipped in and we got it done. I’m looking forward to meeting our customers when we open and see what they make of it.”

Now in its 17th year, Recycle Week is a celebration of recycling, organised by WRAP under the Recycle Now brand.

The aim of the week is to encourage the public to recycle more, by demonstrating the benefits of recycling items from all around the home.

Marc Bamber, Retail Operations Manager at Emmaus Preston, said: “We set Recycle Week as the target date to complete the refurbishment of our Fishergate store and thanks to the hard work and efforts of our team, we’ve pulled it off early.

“Promoting reuse to residents of Preston is a great way for people to support the environment whilst also supporting our local homelessness charity.

“Hopefully anyone visiting our newly refurbished Emmaus Preston store will be impressed and inspired to buy some of our great quality second hand items.”

Emmaus Preston supports formerly homeless people by providing a home, meaningful work in a community setting, training and ongoing personal support.

The charity operates three large social enterprises in the city, providing valuable work opportunities whilst generating an income to help sustain the support offered by Emmaus Preston.

To find out more and support Emmaus Preston head to www.emmaus.org.uk/preston.

If you would like to get involved or donate an item, please call 01772 796622 or visit the Emmaus Preston Megastore on Brookfield Street or stores at Fishergate and Deepdale Mill Street.