Categories: Case Studies

North East charity redecorate using ReColour remanufactured paint

The charity started in 2017 by bringing communities together, helping families and individuals in need are linked by the charity to donors who collected food for hampers for the Christmas period. They now operate all year round, providing ‘Emergency Food Boxes’ that will support 2 people for 3 days.

The charity got in touch with Community RePaint to redecorate their warehouse and offices. As with most charities, there was a small budget to get this completed. Community RePaint Wirral (which is home to one of our ReColour remanufacture centres) was able to provide the paint just £1 per litre.

Feeding Families North East ordered 120 litres of Brilliant White ReColour paint to freshen up their space. Steve, who works at Feeding Families North East, said “ReColour paint was great and very good quality.”

Volunteer painting with ReColour PaintVolunteer painting with ReColour Paint

We’re delighted that the charity was able to freshen up their space with affordable paint through our network and prevent leftover paint from going to waste.

If you have a community space, school, sports centre or religious building you’d like to decorate, read more about our ReColour paint and place an order today, starting at just £1 a litre!

Feeding Families North East compelte ReColour projectVolunteer painting with ReColour Paint

Rugby club revamp with ReColour remanufactured paint

Widnes RUFC is a Rugby Union Club, founded in 1924, with 3 senior teams with a junior colts and team at every age group in minis and juniors. The club is also home to a large 180 seater function room, which was in desperate need of a revamp.

The owners got in touch with Community RePaint and ordered 120 litres of ReColour paint in our Sandy Stone colour. The rugby club now looks bright and fresh, offering a welcoming environment for club members, fans and the public.

The rugby club is very happy with the results and thankful to the Community RePaint Network and our remanufacturing centre on the Wirral for providing a large quantity of affordable paint.

Before vs After photo of Widnes RUFC club using ReColour paint

If you have a community space, school, sports centre or religious building you’d like to decorate, read more about our ReColour paint and place an order today, starting at just £1 a litre!

Upcycle with ReColour chalk paint

We’ve collated a range of photos shared by our customers on Instagram that showcases the fantastic results achieved when you upcycle your furniture using different colours of ReColour chalk paint.

1. Brave Blue bedroom furniture 

2. Black bar 

 

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A post shared by @craftingwithdw

3. Terrific Teal side table

4. Gorgeous Grey corner unit

 

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A post shared by recolour paints (@wearerecolour)

5. Serene Scene kitchen cabinets

6. Bailey Blue toy box

7. Deep Delta cabinet and coat hooks

 

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A post shared by recolour paints (@wearerecolour)

8. Tranquil Thistle chest of drawers

 

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A post shared by recolour paints (@wearerecolour)

9.Feeling Sage chest of drawers

 

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A post shared by recolour paints (@wearerecolour)

10. Clotted Cream wall storage

 

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A post shared by recolour paints (@wearerecolour)

If you’d like to purchase ReColour chalk paint for your project, please contact Community RePaint Wirral for further information.

Local artists brighten up Community RePaint Bristol South after fire

In early 2021, Community RePaint Bristol South suffered a devastating fire at their store. The scheme is run by Re:work, a Bristol charity established to relieve poverty, advance education, and promote and provide training in South Bristol. The fire was believed to be caused by a heater and although very damaging for the premises, the paint area was luckily not destroyed.

The scheme remains temporarily closed but the staff are working their hardest to reopen as soon as they can. In the meantime, local artists took the opportunity to brighten up the boarded shop front with vibrant colours and eye-catching designs.

Using leftover paint from Community RePaint Bristol City, local artists brightened up the boarded outside of the temporarily closed Community RePaint Bristol South store as part of a new mural series #KnowleWestWishes, made possible by the Filwood Centre and Knowle West Media. The whole project came at a very affordable price, costing the artists just £6.

Artist painting the exterior of Community RePaint Bristol South in blue, orange a pink paint.

Thank you to the amazing @lisa_cole_designer and @brislexic for their wonderful murals, providing a splash of life onto the shop front.

We can’t wait to see more #KnowleWestWishes murals and for Community RePaint Bristol South to reopen.

Artist painting the exterior of Community RePaint Bristol South in blue, pink, orange and purple paint.

Artist painting the exterior of Community RePaint Bristol South in blue, pink, orange and purple paint.

Could you brighten up your local community spaces? Find affordable paint at your local Community RePaint scheme here.

ReColour chalk paint brightens home furnishings

We love receiving photos from our customers, showing us how they use the paint they’ve purchased from our schemes – and we get very excited about this! It is great to see how the paint has been used in different ways – whether it be a community mural, home redecoration, or furniture upcycling. We love to see the colours you choose, the techniques you use and then share this with our readers for creative inspiration.

Having purchased a selection of ReColour chalk paint from one of our ReColour stockists, Mad Wilburns in Barnsley (supplied by Community RePaint Wirral) ♻, Becca from Recycled Junkie Life Number 3, used her paint for a few different projects, including fun furniture upcycles and a bathroom transformation.

“…I wanted to brighten up our family bathroom with some colour, especially being a house with children…why not make it a little fun and exciting.”

We absolutely love the pairing of ReColour Blushing Bloom and Funky Fern together in her bathroom.

Bathroom redecoration using ReColour chalk paint Bathroom redecoration using ReColour chalk paint

“…I started to paint all the woodwork in the bathroom and shower room [with ReColour] Blushing Bloom and I instantly realised I had made the right choice. After being part of a huge DIY family on Instagram and Facebook I have often seen many people ‘be brave’ and paint literally everything and anything…therefore I thought why not, I have nothing to lose!

…Next on my project list was the bath side, I choose Funky Fern to add some colour and fun, and go along with my “mermaid vibes”…furniture paint is not waterproof but that didn’t worry me as I had a waterproof varnish to apply [as a] topcoat.!

I am really pleased with the final outcome of the bathroom and one of the reasons for this is because of using ReColour. The paint is absolutely beautiful to use and goes on so smooth. The finish is fab.”

Once the bathroom was complete Becca upcycled her office chair, bureau, chalkboard wall and even painted the tiles using ReColour chalk paint.

Home office redecoration using ReColour chalk paint

Upcycled tiles using ReColour chalk paint

Upcycled furniture using ReColour chalk paint

“I have really been into “recycling” and reusing for many years …. [when I came] across [ReColour] which recycles paint from unwanted paints, [it] just appealed to me straight away and went totally along with my ethos.”

Becca also sells some of her upcycled furniture online and says that “…as a small independent business it is always important to test and push your paints to its limits to see how well it lasts and being a very active young family home, this is the perfect environment to see its durability, substance and how it wears over a small amount of time! I definitely am a huge fan of this paint and the whole story behind how it is produced. I will continue to use [ReColour] throughout my years of business and I cannot wait for my next project transformation...”

We can’t wait to see your future transformations Becca!

Have a story to share? We’d love to hear what you are up to, whether it’s painting your kitchen, brightening up your village hall or upcycling furniture! Tell us your story.

Reusable paint provided for festive decorations

In the spirit of Christmas, a Peterborough-based community interest company has created a special festive display from an old bathtub, waste materials and reusable paint from Community RePaint Cambridgeshire.

The display, put together by Up The Garden Bath has been shortlisted for “Best Community Display” in a nationwide competition run by expert David Domoney and illuminationstreet.com

Repurposed materials and recycled paint used to create Christmas decorations in Peterborough.

In an interview with the Peterborough Telegraph, Up The Garden Bath spokesperson Kez Hayes-Palmer explained: “It’s been a difficult year for everyone and we really wanted to end the year in style by creating something amazing that would put a smile on peoples faces and lift their spirits.”

Up The Garden Bath is urging local organisations and businesses to add their own unique creations to the display. Fifteen businesses thus far have provided donations for the display, including Community RePaint Cambridgeshire, which provided reusable paint to brighten up the reindeers and Santa’s sleigh.

Up The Garden Bath Christmas Decorations. Repurposed materials and recycled paint used to create Christmas decorations in Peterborough.

Community RePaint Cambridgeshire opened in 2011 and is now one of the largest schemes in the network. Run by Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network (CCORRN), they collect around 30,000 litres of paint each year. This includes part-full containers of paint from households via a number of recycling centres in the region. They also receive donations from traders, retailers and manufacturers in the region.

Up The Garden Bath Christmas Decorations. Up The Garden Bath Christmas Decorations. Repurposed materials and recycled paint used to create Christmas decorations in Peterborough.

The display was installed on December 12 at Bakewell Road in Orton, Southgate. It will be taken down on January 6 2021.

Why not take a look at our Zero Waste Christmas guides for inspiration on how you can repurpose materials for your Christmas decoration displays.

[Photo Credit: Peterborough Telegraph]

Christmas wrapping paper alternatives – Zero Waste Christmas 🎄

We know it can be hard at this time of the year to watch our spending and buying habits so we have put together a Zero Waste Christmas guide to help you reduce your waste during the festive period. In this post, we’re talking Christmas wrapping paper and encouraging you to use Christmas wrapping paper alternatives to reduce waste.

As beautiful as gift wrapping can be, most of it ends up in the bin after Christmas morning. Each year consumers in the UK alone will use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper. Old newspapers are a great zero waste Christmas wrapping paper alternatives (as long as you don’t buy one especially to use for gift wrap).

You can add some bright colours to the design, add a ribbon or keep it simple and stick with the black and white print for a traditional look. After unwrapping on Christmas morning, you can use the newspaper for other sustainable uses, like lining your food waste bin as it is also 100% recyclable.

Newspaper wrapping paper alternative

[📸 I Am Artisan]

Other Christmas wrapping paper alternatives include reusable fabric bags, reusable beeswax wrap, craft paper or even old fabric and scarfs.

Fabric gift wrapping alternative

[📸 Phantom Forest]

Read our other Zero Waste Christmas Guide blogs for more inspiration on how to be more environmentally conscious this Christmas, including DIY Christmas trees and greeting cards, DIY Christmas decorations and food waste minimisation.

Reduce your Christmas food waste – Zero Waste Christmas 🎄

We know it can be hard at this time of the year to watch our spending and buying habits so we have put together a Zero Waste Christmas guide to help you reduce your waste during the festive period. In this post, we’re talking about Christmas food and encouraging you to reduce your Christmas food waste.

Christmas is typically a time for indulgence and treating yourself, your family and friends. However, UK consumers are often guilty of over-catering which results in a huge amount of Christmas food waste. It is estimated that a staggering 270,000 tonnes of food will be wasted over Christmas, including 74 million mince pies.

Mince Pies Zero Waste Christmas

To avoid wasting food and your money, plan ahead for your Christmas food shopping. If you do end up with leftover food, don’t just bin it. Transforming leftovers can be a fun way to create new meals and cut your food waste. BBC Good Food’s guide to using up your Christmas leftovers is a great way to creatively use up leftovers and reduce your Christmas food waste.

If you have perfectly good food that you are unable to use, you can advertise what you have with OLIO. The app connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away, reducing your Christmas food waste. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. For your convenience, OLIO can also be used for non-food household items too. Download the app today as it is great to use all year round.

Olio Food Waste

If you have food that cannot be reused, always either place it in your food waste recycling bin (if your local authority provides this service) or on your compost heap.

Read our other Zero Waste Christmas Guide blogs for more inspiration on how to be more environmentally conscious this Christmas, including DIY Christmas trees and greeting cards, wrapping alternatives and DIY Christmas decorations.

Christmas card alternatives – Zero Waste Christmas 🎄

We know it can be hard at this time of the year to watch our spending and buying habits so we have put together a Zero Waste Christmas guide to help you reduce your waste during the festive period. In this post, we’re talking Christmas cards and encouraging you to use Christmas card alternatives to reduce waste.

We all have someone who will appreciate getting a card in the post, especially this year. To reduce waste, get crafty and make your own DIY Christmas card alternatives with leftover craft supplies you may already have at home.

Other Christmas card alternatives include opting for a plantable Christmas Card. When the biodegradable paper is planted in a pot of soil, the seeds will grow and eventually the paper will decompose – it is like an extra gift that comes to life in Spring.

Plantable Christmas Card

[📸 EcoVibe]

Or are you ready to ditch physical cards entirely? If so, why not make the conscious step into the digital age and opt to send eCards instead as Christmas card alternatives? This way you can still wish your loved ones a Merry Christmas this year without contributing to the estimated 1 billion Christmas cards that end up in the bin every year. Have fun creating your own designs or find pre-made ones you can add your personalised message to.

Read our other Zero Waste Christmas Guide blogs for more inspiration on how to be more environmentally conscious this Christmas, including DIY Christmas trees and decorations, wrapping alternatives and food waste minimisation.

DIY Christmas decorations – Zero Waste Christmas 🎄

We know it can be hard at this time of the year to watch our spending and buying habits so we have put together a Zero Waste Christmas guide to help you reduce your waste during the festive period. In this post, we’re talking Christmas decorations and encouraging you to create your own homemade DIY Christmas Decorations.

Decorate your house with homemade decorations, using your creative skills and upcycling old materials. We love these cute Santa paintbrushes which you can make with old paintbrushes, leftover paint and a few crafty pieces.

Christmas paintbrushes

[📸 Pinterest]

Or why not take a walk to the local woods and gather up some pinecones to create your own table DIY Christmas decorations? Remember to leave some for the wildlife though! Give your pinecones a wash when you get home, wait for them to dry, and then paint the ends with white paint to give it a wintery feel. You can reuse these again for years to come.

Christmas pinecones with painted tips in white emulsion

Or how do you fancy creating your own edible DIY Christmas decorations? BBC Good Food have delicious recipes, including edible centrepieces and sugar charms – just remember to eat them before they go off!

Cupcake Tree DIY Christas Decoration  Ginger Bread House DIY Christmas Decorations

[📸 BBC Good Food]

Read our other Zero Waste Christmas Guide blogs for more inspiration on how to be more environmentally conscious this Christmas, including DIY Christmas Trees and greeting cards, wrapping alternatives and food waste minimisation.