On 13 October 2021, Emmaus Dover celebrated the official opening of our brand-new furniture workshop and refurbished warehouse, with more than 90 special guests in attendance for a tour, speeches and lunch. We’ve been working to update and expand the facilities at our Archcliffe Fort site since 2019, with fundraising for this latest update taking 18 months. Following a successful fundraising project, work commenced on the workshop and warehouse in January 2021 and was completed this summer.
The new furniture workshop will be used by companions to repair and upcycle furniture donations to sell in our shop. The refurbished warehouse facility will provide more storage and will bring all our recycling activities under one roof, including a PAT testing room and textile recycling facilities.
Now the update is complete we will provide companions with training for furniture refurbishment.
Lawrence, one of our companions, said: “A lot of work has been done on the new workshop and warehouse over the last few months, and now that it’s finished it will make a brilliant difference to our work – it’ll be a warmer and nicer place to work in, plus we now have more much needed storage. During the official launch, I was really happy to give a short speech, and we showed some of the visitors around the new warehouse and workshop, so they could see how they’ll be used.”
More than 90 people attended the official opening including Emmaus Dover companions, staff, trustees, volunteers, customers, supporters, donors and friends. Andrew Eberlein, Chair of Trustees at Emmaus Dover gave a short speech about the Building a Better Future project, companion Laurence shared his story and Richard Oldfield, OBE DL officially opened the new workshop. Attendees enjoyed light buffet-style refreshments, including home-made cake.
Karen Gambrell, Fundraising Manager at Emmaus Dover said: “Our Building a Better Future Project aims to secure the long-term future and sustainability of Emmaus Dover. The development of our site will create more opportunities for our companions, increase revenue, provide new income streams and a historical place of interest for the people living, working and visiting Dover each year.”
We can’t wait to enjoy all the great things to come out of our new furniture workshop.