The Refresh Project is a partnership project between Bee Wirral, Magenta Living Housing Association, and Wirral Borough Council.

Unwanted furniture left in Magenta Living properties is collected by Magenta and stored in a large warehouse donated to the project by Wirral Borough Council. Bee Wirral then ensures that the furniture is inspected, cleaned, PAT tested as required, and stored ready for distribution to referred families. The majority of referrals come from Magenta Living as they seek to support households in need of basic furniture and homeware.

Bee Wirral takes on the overall coordination of the project, ensuring that all partners are updated and most importantly acts as the main point of contact for individuals and families being referred for furniture. The refresh project is a very environmentally sustainable response to the current cost of living crisis. In the first year of Bee Wirral managing the project 257 items of furniture were delivered to 77 households, thus amounted to 8 tonne of furniture being recycled that would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

Our men's group is also actively involved in the project, regularly volunteering to help organise the stock, undertake minor repairs, and more recently have learnt how to upscale some pieces after attending a series of workshops on how to repair and repaint furniture and apply paint effects such as stencilling and decoupage.

 All of our furniture is gained through donations, then prepared and given out to those in need, examples of the items that we accept are listed below:

WHAT WE NEED.

• Sofas, Suites, and Armchairs with a 1988 Fire Safety Label.
• Mattresses (In clean condition only.)
• Wardrobes and Chest of Drawers.
• Sideboards, Dressers, and Coffee Tables.
• Working Washing Machines and Tumble Dryers.
• Tables and Small Chairs.
• Working Fridges and Freezers.
• Working Electric Cookers.
• Small Electrical Goods; Microwaves, Lamps, Kettles, Etc.
• Curtains and Cushions.
• Kitchen Equipment, Pans, Etc.

WHAT WE DO NOT NEED.

• Large “Three-Seater” Sofas.
• Large Dining Tables.
• Unclean Items.
• Items That Are Not in Working Order.