A CRAFT store that saves supplies from landfill is appealing for help as it faces “steep bills.”
Southampton Scrapstore based at Belgrave Industrial estate is packed with second-hand and new craft supplies, from fabrics and papers to old IKEA stock and more.
The charity also works from the non-conformist chapel in the Old Cemetery in Southampton.
The people behind the initiative have been serving the community for 38 years and help reduce waste, but they now face escalating costs and a lack of storage.
'Very steep bills'
Trustee Dee O’Neill said: “Our lease on the chapel is due to expire at the end of this year but we have been advised that Southampton City Council do not intend to renew it and have not offered us any other facilities.
“The council have advised that they intend on increasing our rent further next year on our store at Belgrave. This leaves us with a serious storage problem.
“We are facing some very steep bills next year which may mean that we are unable to continue to operate and may have to make the difficult decision of closing the doors.”
On top of rising costs, Dee said the premises at Belgrave Industrial Estate is in “such poor repair” that the roof leaks during the winter, damaging stock.
READ MORE: Peek inside Southampton Scrapstore – the craft store saving supplies from landfill
She said: “We are now facing yet another winter of cold and wet premises.
“A donation to us is not always just a few boxes, it’s a whole van load, so obviously storage is critical for us as a charity.
“I am disappointed that the council has now turned a blind eye to our dilemma.”
She added: “As a charity with escalating costs, we chose this year to radically reduce our overheads in order that we could continue to operate whilst still providing a great service to our members.
“These reductions included: employing no staff and relying purely on our volunteers, saving fuel costs by using our own vehicles for donation pickups, and renegotiating better rates with suppliers.
“With only three active trustees we have worked tirelessly over long hours to ensure the doors remain open as a charity, so the last thing we expected was to now have no storage come the end of the year.”
Storage urgently needed
A large percentage of donations to the charity will have to be rejected if no suitable storage is acquired - which will see materials go to landfill.
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Membership prices may also increase as a result, which, according to Dee, is “not something we want to do with the cost-of-living going up at a rapid rate.”
She said: “We initially need 500 square feet of storage for the next 12 months, allowing us some time to find bigger and combined space.
“Ideally we would like to have 2,500 square feet on one site to accommodate storage and a store over a longer period as the lease on our store expires at the end of 2023.”
Rent previously agreed
In response, Cllr Sarah Bogle said: “Both premises are owned by the council; the Chapel is required for use by the council’s bereavement services so this will cease to be available for Southampton Scrapstore.
“The charity's main premises are at the Belgrave Estate that is also owned by the council; the rent increase was agreed in 2017 as part of the terms of lease and space for additional storage in a container has been agreed without further charge.
“Hopefully this will help with the loss of the Chapel premises.”
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