Magenta Living's 'Refresh' continues renovating unwanted items for those in need thanks to donation

Travis Perkins Managed Services (TPMS) has made a donation from its community legacy fund to support 'Refresh', an award-winning partnership dedicated to upcycling furniture for Magenta Living residents.

Working with non-profit community organisation Bee Wirral, along with the Wirral Council, Refresh renovates unwanted items from Magenta Living's empty properties to pass on to residents who need them. Establishing its legacy fund to champion community initiatives, TPMS is the UK's leading supply chain and procurement solutions partner for the repairs and maintenance sector.

TPMS donated from its fund to Refresh to help them grow their community service and ongoing support for local residents. Jamie Martin, Magenta's head of community regeneration, said: "Magenta Living colleagues and customers have been involved in the Refresh project from the start and it's great to see what they have achieved so far and the positive impact they’ve had on the community.

"At Magenta, we strive to be more than just a landlord and so our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Refresh has allowed us to make a real difference to their lives and with so many benefits, the project really is a win-win for everyone."

Last year, 257 items of furniture were delivered to 77 households, amounting to eight tonnes of furniture being recycled that would have otherwise ended up in landfill. Gavin Paget, account manager at Travis Perkins Managed Services, said: "We are so glad that Travis Perkins Legacy Fund has been able to help this community. By helping reuse furniture it prevents waste, reduces fly-tipping and helps to support residents at such a difficult time."

Lorraine Anderson, manager of Refresh, said: "Bee Wirral takes on the overall coordination of the project, ensuring that the furniture is inspected, cleaned, safety tested as required, and stored ready for distribution. We are also the main point of contact for individuals and families being referred for furniture."

Lorraine was able to meet some of the families when delivering the furniture and said: "It was particularly rewarding to see the individuals in person and the furniture finding a new home with a new lease of life."

When a Magenta Living property is vacated, the Empty Homes Team takes any reusable furniture left in that property to restore. New customers are referred to Refresh to access the furniture, which is then delivered to their homes free of charge.

As a community project, Refresh encourages Magenta Living residents and the wider community to volunteer and upcycle furniture. The program also means that Magenta Living has been able to furnish some of its properties to provide attractive and much-needed support for new customers.

Refresh is always looking for new furniture and will take items from other residents, not just Magenta Living.  All the furniture is stored at a local warehouse which is provided by Wirral Council.

Submitted by Travis Perkins Managed Services

Location: Wirral, Merseyside