2nd CHANCE Office Furniture Recycling Initiative.
We recently made a delivery to Open Gates Charity as part of our 2nd CHANCE initiative. 2nd CHANCE aims to ethically redistribute redundant office furniture in the most socially and environmentally responsible way. Pat Clark treated us to a tour of the Open Gates building and kindly took time to introduced us to everyone. Pat explained how Open Gates supports prisoners and ex-prisoners through an employment and training programme. The aim is to reduce re-offending and stop the revolving door back into prison. As a social enterprise, the organisation manufactures, recycles, and upcycles furniture and white goods and sell to the general public.
Office furniture donated will be sold at the retail operation or upcycled at their workshop
The organisation manufactures, recycles, and upcycles furniture and white goods and sell to the general public. The building itself is huge and the venture expansive. The team of volunteers and inmates refurbished the derelict warehouse on the site of a former industrial bakery. The Scottish Canal Authority donated the building to the offender rehabilitation charity in 2010. In addition to the wood working and furniture restoration workshop , the refurbishment includes the creation of the IT suite and seminar rooms available for hire. Completed and opened most recently is the cafe. The next phase will be the addition of a gym on the 1st floor.
Rebuiding People
Involved with Open Gates since it’s inception Pat’s enthusiasm is clear to see. His commitment is with making a difference to the futures of those involved in the project and to building a vibrant and growing support organisation. He insists “What you need to know is that it’s a team effort here, I had a vision but every single person that’s come through here has done just as much work as I’ve done in the time that they were here. The restoration of the furniture that will be sold to the public directly parallels the futures of those doing the restoring.”
Pat went on to say “Our charity especially appreciates this gesture from Park Systems. As we survive on donations this generosity has been a blessing for us and is what helps us do what we do, not to mention the attitude of your staff who delivered the furniture, they were a great help. So saying ‘thank you’ falls far short of what it means to us”.
Open Gates have a track record in changing the lives of offenders by providing a positive and rewarding experience through training and employment. Taking people who have been institutionalised and turning their lives around is not an easy task and requires dedication and support. Open Gates provides vocational based training across a range of subjects with a view to transitioning our staff into full time employment.
Thanks to all at Open Gates for the work you do. Furthermore we can recommend the food and coffee served in Open Gates Cafe, where our tour of the building completed.
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