Categories: News

High demand Causes Community RePaint East Lancashire move Premises

An initiative which has helped hundreds of East Lancashire households brighten up their lives has itself found a new home.

Community RePaint, run by Community Solutions, was launched more than a year ago at their Accrington headquarters.

But with demand continuing the scheme, which collects unused and leftover paint for repackaging or reprocessing, is now based at the organisation’s centre off Trafalgar Street in Burnley.

Mark Hurst, director of community solutions NW, who run a paint recycling project based in an industrial unit just off Trafalgar Street. The paint is donated by the public

Co-ordinator Bill Staines said: “The paint is collected from retailers, or manufacturers, but is now surplus to requirements “It may be end-of-line, mis-mixed or in a dented or marked tin. However, it is new, full and reusable.

“The brands, type and colour of our clearance stock is always changing. So it is best to visit or contact us on a regular basis to find out what is available.”

The scheme also offers premium quality recycled paint, which is made from reprocessed water-based interior emulsion, which has been blended, coloured and repackaged.

Part of a national network, sponsored by the decorating giant Dulux, the initiative gets through around 400,000 litres of paints across its 75 branches.

Paint is also provided for neighbourhood community initiatives, with Springfield Community Centre in Burnley being one of the first recipients and a number of locations benefiting since.

Community RePaint is just one of a number of civic efforts being marshalled by Community Solutions from its Burnley and Accrington offices, including the food bank for Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle.

In partnership with Lancashire County Council, the organisation offers a befriending service for those aged 18 or over, to combat the twin threats of isolation and loneliness.

And their street soccer academy, working with FA qualified coaches to provide weekly sessions for men with multiple and complex needs, has been rolled out to Hyndburn and Burnley St Peter’s leisure centres.

If you would like to buy low-cost paint, or donate leftover supplies, then contact Bill Staines on 01282 222030 or e-mail him on repaint@csnw.co.uk

People’s millions winners!

This is great news for the schemes and we are really excited about both of their projects. In case you missed it you can find details for both projects below:

CRP County Durham
Rural Refurb (County Durham Furniture Help Scheme)
http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/2014-finalists/tyne-tees/rural-refurb
http://www.cdfhs.org.uk/

CRP East London
Colour the Capital (Forest Recycling Project Limited)
http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/2014-finalists/london/colour-the-capital-
http://www.frponline.org.uk/

Thank you to everyone in the Community RePaint Network, and those of you in the wider public, who took to the phones and voted on Tuesday. It’s great that we were all able to get behind the schemes and show our support.

Today is giving Tuesday! Donate your paint!

Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for people all over the world to show that it is good to give. This global movement is as widespread as The United States, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Latin America and Israel. The Giving Tuesday campaign is being launched in the UK by the Charities Aid Foundation.

The consumer-orientated nature of the festive season leads to an increase in waste, so Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity for a call to action for everyone who wants to give something back. This may be making a donation to a charity, volunteering your time to a group or having a clear out in order to donate items to a charity shop. It is an opportunity for charities to have a voice for promoting their good cause.

Here at Community RePaint, we’d like to encourage you to clear out your shed or under the stairs (wherever it is those paint tins may be lurking, following summer redecorating) and donate them to your local Community RePaint scheme. Please visit the Paint to Donate page on our website to find out where you can take your full or part tins.

Of course, Giving Tuesday doesn’t just have to be for today, why not make it last all week and give something back this weekend!

To find out more about Giving Tuesday, please search the hashtag #GivingTuesday or find out more here.

Man creates ‘Frozen’ winter wonderland

One of Community RePaint Black Counry’s regular customers, Stuart Bibb, has been very busy this holiday raising hundreds for his 11-year-old neighbour Daniel Evans, who is having treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital, after undergoing a heart transplant. Stuart frequently visited host scrapstore, SCARF, in the run-up to Christmas to access paint and materials to make his “Frozen” themed Christmas display. We were thrilled to see how successful the results were and to hear of people’s generous donations for Daniel!

Stuart Bibb constructed the giant Frozen-themed display in the front garden of his house in Wentworth Road, Bushbury, after he was inspired by his 11-year-old neighbour Daniel Evans, who is having treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital after undergoing a heart transplant.

Featuring a 25ft tall castle and more than 4,000 LED lights, the display has proved to be a major hit with the public, with people travelling from all over the Black Country to catch a glimpse of Elsa and Anna’s magical stronghold.

Mr Bibb said the attraction has proved so popular that he has taken to standing in the front garden of his house between 4.30pm and 9pm at night to answer questions from visitors.

“It has crazy,” said the 42-year-old. “We have had so many people coming around from all over the place. I was answering the door every five minutes, so now I just stand out the front.”

Mr Bibb said one man was so impressed by the castle that he gave £100. “The generosity of people has been overwhelming,” he added.

“At this rate we will hit the £1,000 mark soon which I never thought would be possible.”

Mr Bibb spent more than £300 creating the giant castle and display, which features around 4,000 LED lights, took two weeks to set up and costs £7 a night to run.

He spent a further four days building the castle and a 5ft stage, using a mixture of perspex and plywood. But Mr Bibb said his efforts have been worthwhile, with donations flooding in from generous passers by.

“I always decorate the house and this year a friend said I should do something a bit different and possibly for charity,” said the 42-year-old.

“I heard about Daniel and what his parents Simon and Rachael were going though so I wanted to do something to help them and the hospital. Seeing that all the kids are talking about it I decided to make it a Frozen-themed castle.

“I started putting the lights up in November, before any neighbours had, and just got to work. I ended up having to build the castle in the front garden because it was too big for the garage. It was a lot of work, but it was definitely worth it.

“There are so many lights and I had to drill a hole in the castle for each one.”

The lights have become an attraction in the Northwood Park area of Bushbury, with people making trips from other areas of the city to see the creation for themselves.

Mr Bibb added: “The reaction has been fantastic, we have a sign out the front asking for donations and we raised over £250 in less than a week. I don’t think my two youngest children have ever been so popular in school. They’ve got a Frozen castle in their garden.”

Original article from Express and Star online.

Crowd funding success for Community RePaint West Devon

There crowdfunding campaign in December managed to raise £6,500, which smashed their £5,000 target.

Local businesses donated prizes, which were given varying values in order to raise money. Amongst many of the fantastic prizes, supporters could buy hampers, classes in drawing and silver making, knife sharpening and composting workshops, goats cheese and breadmaking classes even a garage sort out!

If you would still like to donate, please click the image above or visit the Proper Job website.

To watch a fantastic film about Proper Job, who host Community RePaint West Devon, please click here.

Some more info about Proper Job, our hosts for Community RePaint West Devon:

Proper Job is a community run, not for profit, recycling centre based in Chagford, Devon. They need to raise 5k for a purpose built vehicle with a customised logo. This new van is necessary to enable them to carry on providing a service through out rural Devon, as their old van has to be recycled itself! This important service keeps large items of household waste away from the landfill. It will also be used to deliver home made organic compost and has the potential to be used by local people as a community vehicle.

At Proper Job, recyclable items are broken down to their component parts and recycled separately. Reusable items are given a second lease of life – they are kept away from landfill by being offered for sale in an Aladdin’s cave of pre-loved treasures at a fraction of their original cost. Our customers not only save money, they help save the environment!  Without a new van, a lot of these easily reusable or recyclable items could end up in landfill.  With a new van, Proper Job would aim to double the collections they are currently able to do.  There is a growing network of community driven projects, some just composting, some just doing reuse, others involved in growing and selling local produce and many more, but there are none quite like Proper Job. In fact, for many organisations, Proper Job stands as a beacon to show how it can be done.

It all started in Chagford in 1993 when a group of allotment holders launched a community composting project.  They wanted to recycle green waste and create a local recycling facility for other items.  All were committed to principles of recycling and environmental sustainability. The rural skip service was being filled up with many reusable/recyclable and compostable items and the nearest recycling centre was 15 miles away. The group started their activities around these skips that came to the village each month by taking out or diverting all the green waste.

Proper Job Limited was set up in 1995, describing itself as “a community business committed to principles of sustainability and helping to create jobs”.   This was included in a broader development plan, which encompassed a holistic vision embracing the concept of healthy community achieved through the principles of community involvement and participation, with recycling as a central feature.

WHAT THEY NEED

They need 5k to buy a second  hand  modified vehicle with a customised logo.  A second hand Nissan Cabstar will cost just over £3000 and with modifications including a box and tail lift it will cost just over £5000

A box conversion is necessary so that when deliveries and cardboard are transported, they don’t get wet and damaged, and a tail lift is essential for transporting heavy goods such as Rayburns.

Proper Job relies on people using their recycling services and shopping at the resource centre for most of its income.  With a sign-written van, the good work they do would be far more visible to the wider community.

RISKS AND CHALLENGES

With any form of crowd funding, there is always the risk that the target won’t be achieved.  Over the years, the amount of money available to support recycling organisations such as ours has got smaller and smaller and so Proper Job has become adept at fundraising for small amounts here and there.  However, the current van won’t last more than a few months so the money for a replacement is needed now.

THE IMPACT

In such a rural area, many people rely on Proper Job because council run facilities are over 15 miles away. We are also a source of great value, second hand clothes, furniture, bric a brac, etc.  Proper Job is part of a growing network of community driven projects. Taken globally these grassroots community projects make up the largest movement in the world working for positive change and Proper Job is a small beacon of hope against the giant multinationals of the planet. It is vital that projects like Proper Job are kept alive and that we are all conscious about how much of our waste is ending up in landfill.

In 2013 we successfully stopped over 100 tonnes of waste from ending up in landfill, not to mention the enormous amount of clothes, shoes, tools and bric a brac we sold. As a country, we generate about 177 million tonnes of waste every year in England alone. This is a poor use of resources and costs businesses and households money. It also causes environmental damage – for example, much of the waste sent to landfill produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. The government states that they want to move towards a ‘zero waste economy’. This doesn’t actually mean that there would be no waste at all, but in a society where resources were fully valued, financially and environmentally, people would reduce the amount of new items they bought, and would reuse and recycle as much as possible.  Things would be thrown away only as a last resort. ­­ Please help Proper Job to do our bit to achieve that aim in our beautiful corner of Dartmoor.

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

Please share Proper Job’s crowd funding video on your networks and spread the word about the good work they do.

If you are able to donate a reward we can offer as a reward for donating money, for example a workshop or experience, please contact Alison Sallis on recycling@proper-job.org

We are always looking for volunteers at Proper Job so if you are unable to donate you could come and give us some of you valuable time.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you!

Dulux colour Britain

Colour The Capital will:

  • Be carried out in 3 London Boroughs, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets
  • Brighten up nine run-down community spaces with eye-catching street art
  • Involve over 100 young people from deprived areas of London in 6 street art workshops
  • Save community groups £36,000
  • Save 6,000 litres of paint from going to landfill
  • Save 15 tonnes of CO2

Community RePaint East London will be working with artist Annu Kilpelainen to create beautiful murals in their area.

Annu’s Inspiration for the Project: London – “Street Engine”

London Taxi drivers get to hear some of the most ‘colourful’ stories from their fares. Annu has juxtaposed this relationship between stories heard and famous landmarks that a Cabbie gets to experience daily.

“Cabs might be black, but their stories are surely among the most colourful in the UK.”

About the Artist – Annu Kilpelinen

Annu is a Finnish born illustrator living and working in London. Since graduating from the London College of Communication in 2010, she has been working on a variety of projects, ranging from publications and exhibitions to textiles and 3D objects. Using materials from pens and acrylics to outdoor paints, Annu turns urban landscapes into abstract illustrations filled with vibrant colours and patterns. She sketches ideas with pen on paper. The artworks then take new shape in digital reproduction or hand painted onto large papers, wooden panels – or even real cars. Her work has featured in ‘It’s Nice That’ and ‘Booooooom’ (websites which champion creativity and community art). Her recent commissions include The Sunday Times, The Desktop Magazine Australia and Rosie Lees.

We look forward to seeing the results of Annu’s and Community RePaint East London’s collaboration – don’t worry we’ll let you see them too!

Reuse your paint pots

Interesting Ways to Reuse Tin Cans

, The Times of India

Used tin cans often spark the interest of kids as they generally look to turn them into pen stands for their little study desk. However, there are several more ways that they can be put to use by adults as well. Here are a few ideas if you tin cans lying around the house and are clueless about how to put them to use… 

Ladle stand If you don’t have kids at home or a study table where you can place a pen stand, you can use tin cans as a stand for either some of your toiletries, spoons, forks or ladles in the kitchen. Just cut the top off and wrap the can in a jute cloth or a coloured paper of your choice. Then, write what the can holds on the cloth or paper in order to make it appear customized and valuable.

Dessert container If you love whipping up mouth-watering cold desserts like chocolate mousse and have guests over often, you could use tin cans as containers for your preparations. If the average tin can is too tall to hold your dessert, just cut each of the cans into half and paint or wrap them with a fabric of your choice. So, when you serve your refrigerator-cold desserts, your guests needn’t struggle to hold the container as the fabric will keep their hands warm while they dig into the dessert.

Speaker set If you have two tin cans of the same shape and size, turn them into speakers, stands or holders for your portable mini speakers. While turning them into speakers is a laborious process, using them as stands is a lot easier. Just cut the lid of your tin can, paint it in the pattern of your choice and then fit your speakers in. You could even paint them both with a base colour and draw out notes or sound waves to make the speakers look interesting.

Candle mould/ stand If you’re into candle-making, just use old tin cans as both moulds and containers. If you wish to place your candle as is, just line the tin can with a generous amount of oil before you pour the melted wax in. Once the candle is set, flip the can and a smooth or ridged candle will slide out, depending on the pattern inside the can. However, if you wish to gift the candle, you could paint the can in a colour of your choice and tie a satin ribbon around it. Let your candle set. You can then gift it along with the can.

Lamps Use tin containers to make lanterns of various kinds. The simplest way to turn a can into a lantern is by punching holes in patterns of your choice on the can and fitting a bulb inside it. When you turn it on, the light disperses through the punched holes, making the can look like a delicate and pretty lamp. You could either hang this or use it as the shade of your table lamp.

Piggy bank Children’s tastes change often so it isn’t wise to invest in everything that they wish for. But, if your child is asking for a colourful piggy bank, just say yes and get started. Take an old tin can and cut the top off. Take a metal sheet and cut it to fit the top of the can and slit the centre, which will allow for a coin and note to fall through. Then, stick this to the top of the can. Paint it in a colour of your child’s choice and gift it to him/her. This way, you can use another can as and when your child asks for a new piggy bank.

Planter Flowers pouring out of colourful tin cans look lovely in balconies and gardens. Want to add colour and character to your garden? Just take some old tin cans and paint them in vibrant colours of your choice. Cut the top off and fill a quarter of the can with fertile soil. Place your sapling or sow your seeds and then pour in more soil till the can is half full. You could either place them on the ground or add a string to hang your can.

Wind chimes People often buy wind chimes, but if you have tin cans at home handy you can make them yourself. Just take about four or five cans, punch holes through the centre of the base and draw a string through each one of them. Take a wooden ring and tie the other end of the strings of each of the cans to it. Then, tie a thread across the ring so that you can hang it in your balcony. So, when the wind blows, these cans will make a pleasant tinkle that is sure to uplift your mood.

Socks stand Unable to keep all pairs of socks at home contained in one place? Flustered because you’re unable to gather them? Here’s a simple way to ensure that you will find all your socks in one place, and that too in an interesting manner. Use old tin cans and chop off the top of each one of them. Place them next to one another and stick them with glue. You could place rows of tins below one another to restrict the amount of space on the wall that it occupies. Then, put one pair of socks in each of the tin cans.

2014: Community RePaint Stats

Thanks to all of the individuals, traders, painters and decorators, retailers and manufacturers who have brought paint to the Community RePaint Network. Thanks to all of those who work and volunteer within the Community RePaint Network schemes, working to save paint from going to waste and back into the local community. And thanks to all of those community organisations and third sector groups, who link up with us to get the paint onto the walls of those who need it!

The issues around paint include the environmental cost of paint ending up in the natural environment, the economic cost of incineration of waste paint and the social cost – even paint on sale is expensive!

It’s not just about paint; we recognise that all of your hard work goes towards the social value of improving local communities’ surroundings. We help a wide range of people and groups in the community. It could be an individual being able to get paint that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford and transforming their home environment into somewhere more comfortable. Or a community group, who may be on a budget, being able to redecorate their premises without breaking the bank. It may be a group who what to paint a colourful mural or theatrical set without having to buy tins and tins of new paint!

We’re proud of the work that is put in to making Community RePaint what it is; a simple solution to the problems around paint.

 

Community RePaint featured in House Beautiful

It appears in the Living Well section, which features ‘practical and planet-friendly products for your home’, for example, recycled glass vases, eco-friendly wallpaper, fairtrade rugs.

House Beautiful; is available from a news agents near you!