The financial position of Arbroath-based Furniture Recycling Project Angus remains precarious but the team continues to “fight hard” to save the service.
In June, the group announced funding would run out within weeks and the project faced closure after reporting turnover at the organisation had dropped considerably from the previous year.
Manager Elaine Duff said: “Although the situation has improved slightly, we are by no means out the woods yet.
“For a while there was much more stock coming in than going out and we had to stop taking donations of suites as we simply did not have the room.
“However, the ratio of stock going out to stock coming in is now much closer, which is a much better situation than before.
“One member of staff took voluntary redundancy which has reduced our costs, and we have made an application for funding but we cannot rely on this being successful, so all the options to improve our financial position are being looked at.
“For example, we started staying open late on a Thursday, so that people who work can still come in and look around, but this was not a great success, so we stopped this as it was costing us money.
“We also launched a paint project where people can donate unwanted tins of paint, which customers can buy cheaply for doing small projects or other work, and this has generated interest which we welcome.
“We still open on the last Saturday of the month though, so we will be here this Saturday, and I would encourage people to come in and look around at the stock we have available – there are some great items and, of course, we are always happy to discuss the work we do, which provides very affordable furniture to those who need it, as well as volunteering opportunities.”
Leader of Angus Council, Councillor David Fairweather said he was aware of the situation: “I was contacted about the financial position of the project, and raised the issue with council officers who subsequently visited the centre and discussed options with the team.”
The project is based in Wardmill Road in Arbroath and welcomes donations of paint and household items in reasonable condition and can be contacted on 01241 437438.
