restartOrkney – A GOOD THING!

By theorkneynews on July 18, 2019 • ( 1 Comment )

By Bernie Bell

We needed to go into Kirkwall, so we had a bit of a clear-out of things which had been sitting in the garage for a while, and took them to restartOrkney. The restartOrkney showroom/shop is at 62 Junction Road, in Kirkwall, across the road from the building which houses the Job Centre.

Here we see Dave, the Shop Supervisor, ably assisted by one of his helpers, shifting a bed from the front of the showroom……..

The idea of restartOrkney is, that if folk have items which they don’t want, from big pieces of furniture, to books and bric-a-brac, crockery and cutlery, electrical items, etc. etc. etc. – just about anything use-able, really – they can donate them to re-startOrkney, who will also collect bulky items, if you can get them there yourself. This service even includes a FREE house clearance service.

The other side of the story, is if you’re looking for furniture, restartOrkney is a good source – the prices are low, and it means that items are re-cycled instead of going to the dump, or being incinerated. Items which are in good repair, are cleaned up and go straight into the showroom, where there are some tremendous bargains to be found. You can get a whole dining suite, and the crockery to go with-it………..

Or, sofas and armchairs – look at the price of that sofa! It was in the Sale, but, still……………

Sara, the Admin. lady, told me that, if they are given wooden furniture which is too far gone to sell in the shop, they hand it over to St. Colm’s https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/09/14/happy-birthday-st-colms-aged-40/ where the folk there make new items from it, which can then either be sold by St. Colm’s, given back to restartOrkney to be sold, or to other charities. This means that various charities in Orkney can liaise with each other, to share resources and outlets.

So, if you’ve moved into somewhere, and are looking for furniture, pots & pans, etc. etc., restartOrkney could be the place to look. Alternatively, if you’re moving out of/clearing out somewhere, you could donate unwanted items, and thereby provide a source of goods, for those who are looking to buy. A wonderful cycle/recycle of goods and materials.

restartOrkney’s motto is ‘employ – reuse – recycle’. They are part of Employability Orkney, which is a registered charity – I’ll quote from their leaflet – “At Employability Orkney we strive to help each employee to reach their true potential and gain the skills and experience to get into mainstream employment. Our young people gain a tremendous amount of skills and experience whilst at ReStart and it is fantastic to see so many of them moving into mainstream employment.”

So, if you donate to, or buy from restartOrkney, you’re not only getting a bargain for yourself, but you’re also helping folk to improve their lives. Can’t be bad!

restartOrkney has a Silent Auction running throughout the month of July…..