Girl Guides going camping this summer will have a ’soaper’ time under canvas.
For they will be able to use soap dispensers NAILED TO A TREE when they get up in the morning for a wash. Guide leaders have saved hundreds of pounds buying supplies for the annual four-day camp from a unique project just launched in Paisley.
The KibbleWorks Warehouse is run by Kibble Education and Care Centre and it provides all sorts of products to charities and community groups at a fraction of the retail price. Guide leaders in Renfrewshire cashed in on the service The KibbleWorks Warehouse – based at KibbleWorks, at Clark Street – provides. And two of the many items they bought – like toilet and kitchen rolls, shampoo, conditioner, washing-up liquid, pens, pencils and notebooks - were the automatic soap dispensers. Guide leader Sue Graham, from Renfrew, who is helping organise the camp for up to 100 girls in August, explained: “All the fancy hotels have automatic soap dispensers and when I saw them at The KibbleWorks Warehouse I thought our campsite should have them as well.
“We’ll nail them to a couple of trees so the girls can use them when they’re washing.
Sue added: “We’ve saved a good couple of hundred pounds at least, by buying our supplies from The KibbleWorks Warehouse and that means it will reduce the cost of the camp for the girls.
“The KibbleWorks Warehouse is a fantastic idea and I would encourage other charities and organisations to get their goods from there. They could save a fortune.”
The KibbleWorks Warehouse is a joint initiative between Kibble, In Kind Direct - a charity founded by HRH The Prince of Wales and a social enterprise with charitable status called Green-Works.
In Kind Direct accepts donations of brand-new surplus goods from manufacturers and retailers and distributes them to charities and community groups for around a tenth of their normal cost.
Goods available from In Kind Direct include the things voluntary organisations and the people need every day - everything from photocopiers, computers, stationery, cleaning materials, sports clothes and shoes to washing powder, toys, carpeting, kitchenware and nappies.
Until now, community groups and charities in In Kind Direct’s network have ordered what they need from a monthly catalogue and the goods are delivered to their door. The small handling charge covers delivery to their doors. The KibbleWorks Warehouse is In Kind Direct’s first ‘retail style’ operation.
Companies who donate goods to In Kind Direct include Procter and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Body Shop, Adidas, Berghaus, Disney, Early Learning Centre, Microsoft and NRG Gestetner.
Green-Works secures office furniture from Government departments and large companies and re-distributes it to schools, charities, community groups and start-up businesses at greatly discounted prices. In the whole process this initiative creates valuable training and employment opportunities in deprived areas across the UK.
Kibble launched The KibbleWorks Warehouse to market and distribute the goods available from In Kind Direct and Green-Works.
Jim Mullan, Kibble’s youth enterprise manager said: “As well as giving charities, community groups and small business the chance to buy goods at a greatly-reduced cost, there is also a great benefit to the environment.
“If we weren’t passing on these goods they would end up in landfill sites around the country. It’s far better they are redistributed and re-cycled in an environmentally-friendly way.”
Colin Crooks, Chief Executive of Green-Works: “This exciting partnership between Kibble and Green-Works will enable local community groups, schools, charities and small business to access vast quantities of quality office furniture at very low cost.
“In addition to protecting the environment, the partnership is also about creating real training and employment for young people at risk and imbuing them with long-lasting skills.
“In this way we can really make a difference to the local area, and I’m thrilled to be part of a project which has the potential to change people’s lives for the better.”
In Kind Direct’s chief executive Robin Boles said “We are delighted to be able to make In Kind Direct’s service available to the community in this exciting new way.
“Already over 200 west of Scotland voluntary groups in our network are receiving goods through our catalogue and we hope these and many more will now use The KibbleWorks Warehouse to get their everyday supplies and equipment for a fraction of the usual cost.”
For more information about how local groups can benefit from The KibbleWorks Warehouse, contact
on 0141 842 8012.