info@cdfhs.org.uk

Furniture Help Scheme

The primary aim of CDFHS is to provide any individual in need with low-cost, affordable items - primarily furniture, but our scope has expanded in recent years to include all types of household items.

We collect free of charge, repair and redistribute items from the County Durham area which would otherwise go into landfill, while also making available thousands of items of furniture and household goods every year to people from the region. We are widely recognised for our positive environmental impact and helped save some 150 tonnes of items from entering the refuse system in the last year alone!

Training & Employment

At County Durham Furniture Help Scheme we believe in giving more to the community and so we provide the chance to learn key skills at our establishment from carpentry through to IT tech.

Whether you volunteer or are here on placement we guarantee that you will leave with valuable experience (that all employers look for) and some new skills to add to your CV. This also includes a one-to-one session with our Training and Employment Coordinator, Steve Mitton, who will craft a tailor made CV for you.

White Goods Project

We, at CDFHS, have realised there is a massive need for white goods and so our White Goods Project has been set in place to take reusable white goods and perform a thorough inspection test and maintenance so that perfectly fine items can be reused by you, the community.

So please don't scrap that old washing machine donate it to us and the help the community today.

Computer Services

Our Computer Services department specialises in computer repairs and maintenance.

Come to us for computer repairs for a very low cost or to buy a pre-built machine for your own personal needs. Also as an added perk of being a volunteer you could walk away with a free PC if you meet the requirements necessary. Any donations of old computers are also welcomed or even any spare parts you may have lying around in a reasonable condition.

Green Move Out

The Green Move Out scheme is a partnership project involving Durham University Durham County Council, Durham Constabulary and the County Durham Furniture Help Scheme (CDFHS).

CDFHS and the partnership have started this year's work to ensure that donations of goods are collected brought here to CDFHS and further redistributed to those in need in the community, stricken by disadvantage or just plain wanting a low cost alternative to paying for new goods.

This arrangement benefits the city and its residents, by helping keep the streets clean and avoiding excessive build-up of waste, that perfectly re-usable goods don’t enter the waste chain, basically that these unwanted goods go to good use.

Continue to Durham University >>

Rural Refurb

The project will enable the organisation to refurbish waste goods, primarily furniture items, to provide training and work experience for individuals from rural and economically deprived areas. This excludes items with upholstery as do not have the capacity to repair them.

Training will include: Stripping of paint, varnish, sanding, minor woodwork, use of tools, general hand skills and repainting and spraying. Individuals would be taken through a full range of activities as part of a structured experience-gaining programme, and their progress documented.

Find out more about the project here >>

ReBike

The ReBike Scheme has been set in motion thanks to our funders and partners at Local Motion Darlington to help provide and maintain bicycles for the community. This includes helping promote healthier and cleaner alternatives to driving.

As a service we will offer bicycle maintenance for a small donation and also will collect and accept bicycle donations for refurbishment and resale to the community.

Community RePaint

Community RePaint schemes collect reusable, leftover paint and re-distribute it to individuals, families, communities and charities in need, improving the well-being of people and the appearance of places across the UK.

We ask you to come down to the warehouse and have a look at the stock we currently have and pay a small donation for any paint you would like.

CDFHS are changing our working hours and working practices.

Release date March 13th, 2021.

TO START, WE WILL BE ACCEPTING DONATIONS now
Please call 01388-721509 we will be COLLECTING FROM 22 OF MARCH 2021.

Following our efforts to survive, our old business model has had to evolve AND WE NEED TO REMAIN SAFE going forward so please look out for ongoing updates and information.

Unfortunately going forward until our finances are fully repaired and we see the back of COVID 19 restrictions, we must ask our donors of unwanted furniture and whitegoods several things as we transition back to work: Please understand we have to ask a small charge towards this bulky goods collection service until we can forget COVID restrictions and other unavoidable costs.

We also must ask WHERE AT ALL POSSIBLE goods can be placed outside for our crews to pick up in as contactless a way as possible. If you are unable to do this we must ask we are allowed in to your home and you stay as far as possible from this activity, wear a mask and air the room fully.

WE ABSOLUTELY RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY RISK OF EXPOSURE STILL AND GOING FORWARD ALSO FOR THE ITEMS TO BE FULLY REUSABLE. If you wish to use us as a refuse service we ask respectfully we be paid extra and subject to acceptance and hazard risk - for doing so and that you bear with us at this still difficult time.Our shopping spaces will not reopen till we stock back up…….earliest being April 28,2021

We will call or send a text message the day before confirming your delivery.

For the safety of your household and our delivery team, please observe social distancing at all times and ensure that the room our delivery team will be working in is well ventilated.

If you have COVID-19, or are self-isolating due to COVID-19, please contact our Customer Service team to arrange alternative instructions for your delivery/collection. Please note, we will not enter your property if you are self-isolating or are COVID-19 positive. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation. Our driver will deliver your goods, please ensure someone is in to sign for your delivery at this address:

Due to traffic and other circumstances outside of our control the delivery timing is not guaranteed.

Our office will call you on the morning of the day of your delivery please take this call 9or get right back to us) to confirm you are available and we know to put your goods on the van. If you do not do so we will have to rearrange.

We would like to ensure that your delivery from CDFHS is a SAFE, QUICK and pleasant experience. With this in mind, please ensure you make the following checks and preparations ahead of your delivery.

Please check and prepare the route the driver will take to your property entrance and, if your order is a 2/3PERSON delivery, ensure there is safe and unrestricted access so that they are able to carry out the delivery safely and quickly.

Whilst our drivers do take every care while at your property, please ensure that any carpets or flooring that will be on the driver’s path during the delivery of your items are sufficiently protected. This will help prevent any unnecessary accidental marking or damage occurring during the delivery process. We would also ask that you remove any fragile items such as ornaments and pictures to prevent any unnecessary accidental damage to them.

Thanks in advance for your help in making your CDFHS delivery a smooth one.

If you need to contact us about your delivery please email info@cdfhs.org.uk

If you would like to have a “courtesy call when our van is 30 minutes out – please let us know