Work is an integral part of the Emmaus model, and every community around the UK runs their own social enterprise businesses. Emmaus Suffolk is no different. Emmaus research found that 79% of companions who have volunteered at Emmaus for a few months say that working and having something to do every day has been most beneficial part of their experience.
Our main business activity here at Emmaus Suffolk is collecting donated furniture and household goods and selling them in our shops in Ipswich and Suffolk. We also sell online via eBay, Instagram, Depop and more.
Some items are refurbished or “upcycled”, re-painting and re-upholstering it to give it a new lease of life before it is sold on. Our social enterprises gives our companions and volunteers the opportunity to gain hands on work-experience, access to meaningful work opportunities and training opportunities and the chance to gain new skills, or use their existing creative flair to bring something back into use.
We have recently added to our social enterprise portfolio, by partnering with other social enterprises to offer ethical, packaging free cleaning and household products, all on sale in our shops.
Our plans are that we will ultimately become completely self-funding as a charity, something every Emmaus community across the UK is working towards.
We are members of Social Enterprise UK, the biggest network of social enterprises in the UK and the leading global authority on social enterprise.
