Launching The Repurpose Movement C.I.C.

An environmentally friendly, scalable business

Our mission is to improve our communities by collecting discarded pallets, waste wood, slate and washing machines, and repurposing them in to furniture, signage, barbecues and art.

Pallets like these....

...can become beautiful furniture.

We will use the profits to consolidate the business, donate goods to local good causes, and ultimately scale out across the UK by taking on apprentices, county by county.  How are we going to do this?

Support our campaign

By donating to our campaign in return for a reward, you will help us to cover our initial set-up and ongoing maintenance costs.  We need to rent workshop space, refurbish some old tools and buy some new machinery.  We also need to cover all the usual trappings of a modern business - a website, insurance and so forth.  By supporting our campaign, your money will specifically help with:

• A cyclone extractor & wood pellet machine - esssential for cleaning dust and woodchips from the air.  This means our staff can work safely, and as a by-product, we can feed a wood pellet machine, converting waste to heating fuel.
• Planer and thicknesser  - for reconditioning pallets and older wood into useable dimensions
• Small metal detector - for finding hidden nails and screws
• Regular donations - fabulous Crowdfunder now supports regular donations! We'd use regular donations to help pay our low-cost £160 per month workshop rental
• Safety equipment - such as breathing masks and eye-protection

Community Benefit

Climate Activism & Sustainability

We are working to reduce the damage caused by modern consumerism and the disposable-product culture, by reducing waste heading to landfill, the sea and the atmosphere.  By turning old wood into beautiful furniture and art, and scaling out acrosss the United Kingdom, we will help reduce the amount of mass-produced furniture imported from around the world, saving on packaging and shipping.

Snowflake A

*NEW* Community Workshop and Men's Shed

We've joined the UK Men's Shed Association so that we can open a community workshop, most likely 2 days per week. The space will be open to everyone, not just men. We won't discriminate against gender, sexuality, race, religion - to take part you just need to be safe in the workshop, and be willing to learn or help out others. We will work towards delivering a training program for hobby woodworkers, and a good start for those wishing to pursue a career. The community workshop helps reduce loneliness, isolation, depression and boredom by providing a safe space for people to socialise, learn and encourage each other. See our update here for more details.

Business

If you receive goods by pallet-freight,  or work in the construction industry, then you know how annoying it is to have empty pallets littering up your premises and sites. Wouldn't it be better to get them removed, knowing they will be repurposed and the material lifespan extended? If you have a corporate responsibility, perhaps joining our pallet exchange can help you hit your targets.  If you can supply us with 10 pallets, we'll reward with you a beautiful carved nameplate that shows your support.

Snowflake B 

Art and Artists

If you create art, support art or consume art, then we can help. Join our pallet exchange to be notified of wood and other materials that become available. Our aim is to list reclaimed metal from washing machines, gearing for sculpture, old surfboards and anything else that can be re-imagined as something beautiful. Interested in selling through our movement? Contact us through our website: www.TheRepurposeMovement.com

Snowflake C

Giving Back - a Community Interest Company

We'd like to support schools,  hospitals, nursing homes, community gardens and other good causes in our local community.  If you need a planter, a bench, shelving or signage, get in touch and we will see what we can provide.  We are obliged to reinvest profit back in to the company as employment, development or donations to the community.  Contact us through our website: www.TheRepurposeMovement.com

Join The Repurpose Movement

Please help us where you can, we would love your support - share this page, make a pledge, sign up on the pallet exchange at www.TheRepurposeMovement.com

We'd also love  to hear from you if you have any creative ideas, comments or advice.

If you are passionate about recycling, upcycling, skills-training or apprenticeships, we'd love to hear from you!  If your business has pallets that need disposal, join the movement by registering on our pallet exchange.

Meet the team

Tom Douglas - Chief Repurpose Engineer, Director

Artist and woodworker Tom has found a way to combine his love of woodworking, trees and the environment to produce high-quality, inexpensive furniture and art.  By repurposing pallets and old furniture, Tom is reducing landfill, and doing his bit to ensure that more trees are left for hugging, and for the birds and bees.  Tom loves to experiment with his CnC router which he uses to decorate panels on the furniture he makes, and spends three evenings per week teaching martial arts in the local communities.

Jason King - Director

Jase is passionate about helping people learn.  Originally a software developer by trade, he's spent his spare time learning and teaching martial arts and guitar, and is now fortunate enough to teach software development and leadership skills for a living. He loves to teach life-changing skills and really wants to see this company make a difference to the quality of life for young engineers, carpenters and metalworkers.  

Apprenticeships

As a community interest company, we are legally obliged to re-invest 65% of profit back in to the business or community. Initially that reinvestment will take the form of machinery purchase, product development and skills training. Once established and financially secure, we will look to develop a training course that will teach apprentices the ins and outs of the business.

Craftsmanship

• health and safety in the workshop
• sourcing and safely collecting pallets
• pallet disassembly
• reconditioning wood using workshop machinery
• basic joinery and carpentry
• staining and finishing

This will give the young engineers a chance to build their portfolio and move on to a career outside our business, join the business as a paid staff member locally, or to be instrumental in setting up shop in another county. 

Business Skills

• securing a workshop
• web-site maintenance and product listing
• product development
• building local partnerships
• office administrative skills
• apprenticeship recruitment

A rough roadmap

Testimonials

"Simple, effective way to upcycle waste and neutralize carbon's impact to our climate at the same time.  What could be better?"

Jeff Hayes, regular donor

Rewards

There are 3 basic finishes available; mahogany stain (top), oak stain (middle) and yacht varnish (bottom).  Feel free to specify which finish you'd prefer when pledging.  Note that all dimensions are approximate and the nature of recycled source materials means that each piece will be unique.

Nameplates - £20

Measuring approximately 20cm x 10cm x 1.5cm, these nameplates are available in a variety of fonts - we'll take your lettering choice when we come to fulfill the order. With the right font face, these make perfect gifts for Star Wars fans, Hobbit-lovers and wannabe Vikings!

Unique Iroco Coffee Table - £400

A salvaged hardwood top with floating leg feature.   This beautiful dark coffee table is made from African iroko - a hardwood loved for its similarity to teak.  This truly is a one-off for us, as we won't buy this timber, only salvage it.  100cm x 49cm x 44cm high. £400

Cool to be Square - £150

Chic, shabby, shquare!  Sean Connery would love it.  Oh yesh he would.  Ok, its not quite shquare: 75cm x 69cm x 42cm high.

The Herringbone Spectacular - £225

Measuring approximately 100cm x 53cm x 42 cm (L x W x H), this coffee table is finished with a herringbone pattern. Choose from "this way up" or "w" patterns and either mahogany, oak or yacht stain finishes.  This piece is a combination of sapele wood for the trim, pallet for the stand finished in mahogany stain, and yacht for the herringbone, "this way up".

Minimalist - £175

Measuring approximately 99cm x 56cm x 43 cm (L x W x H), this coffee table is simple but chic.   Shown here in yacht stain finish. 

Oak-stained Wine Rack - £80

Holding approximately 10 bottles of wine and up to 8 glasses below the wine shelf, this rack is a beautiful example of pallet re-purposing. 100cm x 50cm high x 10cm deep.

The Pigeon Hole - £22 per pigeon

A 4 x 3 pigeon hole shelving unit, the pigeon dimensions can change to suit yourself. Available with or without sturdy castors for easy positioning, these units can be custom made to suit your living space. Available in a variety of combinations, just choose the number of pigeons and we'll work with you to ensure you get the dimensions you want.

Shoe-garden - £160.00

By mixing up the pigeon hole design, we've come up with a beautiful way of storing shoes.  We've put in secions tall enough for boots, shoe boxes, and mix-ups.  Finally, the bottom of the wardrobe is clear.