BORDON’S Furniture Helpline, founded to help low-income families, is thriving since moving to its new premises in the old garrison police station.

It’s a success story for a charity that a few years ago nearly closed down because of lack of funds.

It has proved a lifeline to victims of domestic violence, young couples on low wages and people on benefits wanting to provide the essentials of life for their families.

Furniture Helpline began nearly 20 years ago in a garage in Headley when Peter Marsh and David Kidd had the idea of collecting people’s unwanted household items and selling them, or in many cases, giving them away, to low income families.

They moved to the Woolmer Trading Estate but it was a time in the the rise in domestic violence, triggered by debt problems, a recession and sadly it was mainly mothers escaping abuse, with young children, who became some of the most frequent callers.

However as they became more well known young couples were calling at their warehouse to find items at bargain prices to furnish their first home or pensioners replacing worn-out furniture or kitchen appliances and unemployed people on benefits needing beds to sleep on.

Although based in East Hampshire, the charity covers areas of Surrey and Sussex and they will collect items of furniture, household appliances and white goods in reasonable condition, only asking for a small donation to help with the running cost of the van.

All goods are stored in a large warehouse which also acts as a showroom for customers, many of whom have been referred by the local CAB, and those on benefits can sometimes get items at half price.

It takes well over a £100,000 a year to run Furniture Helpline, and 70 per cent of this is funded through their sales, house clearances, and collections from donors.

They make up any shortfall with grants from East Hants District Council, Waverley, and Whitehill Town Council.

Only a small staff team run the office - general manager Martin Dennison, operations manager Diane Page and office administrator Josh Black, who also drives the collection van.

Mr Dennison said:“Certainly since we moved to the old police station we have had more people calling as it has helped for them to get to know us. We are very much a part of the community.

“We are grateful to people for their donations and we are always in need of beds, sofas, fridges and washing machines, although we don’t want cookers. Also we could do with more chests of drawers.

“We have also started a new innovation - a workshop called the Woolmer Men’s Shed. It was named by the men who use it every Tuesday.

“At present there are six of them who can make anything they like but they seem to spend their time mending our furniture. It would be nice if a few more came along.”

Another new service is “Fair Share” which Mr Dennison explained.

“Every week we get a delivery from local supermarkets of food they would have thrown out because it is out of date and we have bought a big chiller to keep it fresh. We then distribute it to organisations, such as lunch clubs, who provide food.”

The charity proves a lifeline for people, with little money, in need of the basic home comforts and thanks to the dedication of the team at Furniture Helpline it is a very worthwhile ongoing success story.