Imagine moving into a new house and not being able to afford to buy a fridge, or a cooker. Hard to believe? For a staggering 13% of the British population, this is their reality. However, an increasing number of community groups are working to ensure that good quality, low cost household appliances are available to those who need them.

One such organisation is the Croydon Appliance Reuse Centre (ARC). This unique project, a partnership of a number of community groups in the area, ensures that unwanted household appliances, such as fridges, cookers and washing machines, and furniture, are given a new lease of life. Large numbers of these items, in reusable condition, were being collected by Croydon Council who previously had no way of dealing them other than to send them to landfill. Now, items are collected, taken to the ARC’s warehouse, repaired if necessary, and then sold at low cost to local people who cannot afford to pay for brand new kitchen appliances. All items include delivery, installation and a six-month warranty.

Croydon ARC is very much a client-centred organisation. They have priced their appliances at a level that is genuinely affordable to people on low-incomes, thereby placing the needs of their clients first. The hope is that they will be able to boost their income through disposal contracts with large companies, rather than passing on these costs to their clients. The Croydon ARC is still in its early stages – it only made its first delivery in June 2005 – but once fully established it should have a significant impact not only on relieving poverty in the area but also improving the environment.

Support from London CRN

The support of London CRN was key to obtaining the initial funding of £639,000 during round 8 of the London Recycling Fund and almost £300,000 of Big Lottery Fund (CRED) funding. Once the funding was obtained London CRN continued to facilitate the formation and development of Croydon ARC through its business support programmes. Further in-depth support resulted in the formation of all the key business documents necessary to start a business up, such as a business plan, budgets, job descriptions and drafting of Memorandum & Articles. Since receiving assistance the ARC has continued to grow from strength to strength and will soon be operating at its optimum capacity of 15 full-time staff.