Cheers to community: Bywaters donates 420 mugs to Chestnuts Community Centre
Bywaters is a sustainable waste management company. It offers recycling services, supporting the sustainability of businesses. It uses A Good Thing’s Premium service: this plan is £29 for unlimited donations for a month, supporting the donation of large items!
Bywaters has a history of generosity. It has listed several items on the A Good Thing platform, including tables and chairs, cube stools, TV stands, highchairs, and screen dividers.
Sip sustainably
The Bridge Renewal Trust aims to reduce health inequalities and improve quality of life for the residents of Haringey, London. It manages the Chestnuts Community Centre, providing mental health support, community groups, exercise events and more. The charity also supports elderly residents to access the NHS. Visited by over 14,500 people last year, the Centre is key to the community in Haringey.
The Chestnuts Community Centre is currently being redeveloped. Cam Fitzwilliam-Grey, Head of Healthier and Stronger Communities for the Trust, stated the charity wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of this, beginning with stopping the use of single-use paper cups for community events and meetings.
Cam discovered A Good Thing in a Haringey community group chat, where the platform was recommended for its charity support. Cam quickly spotted Bywaters’ listing of 420 ceramic mugs after signing up - a perfect solution, which will reduce both the financial and environmental costs of the charity’s events in one go! Cam called this “a win-win”, saying:
“I’m so excited whenever A Good Thing’s emails come through now, [thinking] “Could we use that?”. It’s an amazing idea you’ve developed. I’m sure we’ll use it again.”
Green givers
22 Bishopsgate is a client of Bywaters. As the second-tallest building in the UK, it’s a venue and events space in London that is changing working environments through community-led spaces. 22 Bishopsgate strives to be fully sustainable, being fully powered by renewable energy.
A Little Village
Three donated highchairs, from 22 Bishopsgate via Bywaters, have found a new home through the charity Little Village.
Little Village is a London-based charity supporting children under five and families with babies living in poverty. The charity connects families into their local support networks, giving them a ‘village’ of their own. Clothes, toys and essential equipment are given to families through a network of baby banks. In 2023 alone, the charity provided 11,747 clothing bundles, 7,747 coats, and 1,081 prams. Little Village works with the Baby Bank Alliance, aiming to create a network of baby banks across the UK.
Items can be delivered to families’ homes or be collected from a Little Village hub. These essentials are generally donated, often by other families.
When Little Village requested the donation they said,:
“We love these highchairs because they are light and very easy for a family to collect from us, or for us to send in a parcel.” After collection, they said they were grateful for the items.”
Emily Farnworth, Sustainability Consultant for Bywaters, said of the match,
“We want to thank 22 Bishopsgate for the generous donation of three highchairs to the Little Village charity, and thank A Good Thing for facilitating a smooth donation process. We are thrilled that these highchairs will be put to good use, and together we’re not only reducing waste but also providing support where it’s needed most. We look forward to future collaborations and making a difference together!”
Making space for creativity
But it doesn’t stop there! Bywaters also donated ten divider screens. These were snatched up by The Garwood Foundation, a day centre for adults with physical and learning difficulties, providing enriching activities including arts and crafts, music sessions, cooking and gardening.
The Garwood Centre explained its need for the dividers:
“Our clients enjoy a variety of activities, and as many of our rooms flow through to other rooms without doors, it would be great to split the groups and rooms with room dividers. These would be put to very good use.”