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Charity in 20th anniversary appeal to meet annual demand of...
12,000 bits of furniture for 3,000 in need
By Peter Lazenby
TWENTY years ago volunteers from a Leeds church became concerned that people they visited were lacking the most basic items of furniture.
They decided to do something about it.
Using their car boots and an old horse box for transport they set about collecting and re-distributing donated furniture to people referred to them by a local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Today the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store annually provides 12,000 items of furniture free to 3,000 people in need.
It has a 12,000 sq ft storage warehouse and is backed by organisations including Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Probation Service, and the homeless people's help scheme, the Leeds Shaftesbury Project.
It runs training workshops to give young people, some from difficult backgrounds, skills which help them to find jobs.
It receives requests for help from more than 150 different agencies.
And to mark its 20th anniversary it has launched an appeal to extend its work even further.
Moortown Furniture Store was created in the summer of 1986 by a group of people from Moortown Baptist Church. They saw that many homes they visited lacked even the most basic items of furniture, while a stone's throw away someone else might be letting some seemingly outmoded yet perfectly usable furniture go to waste.
With their car boots and horsebox they brought the two together.
Strain
At the same time the Leeds Furniture Store, managed by the West Yorkshire Probation Service and organisations including the Disabled Information and Advice Line and Leeds Shaftsbury Project was providing a similar service. In 1989 the two stores joined forces, and the new Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store became an officially registered charity.
Over the years the Furniture Store has had a number of homes including St Aiden's Church Hall, Harehills; St Anne's Centre in York Street; and, until a fire in 1995 badly damaged the premises and stock, a building on the former Meanwood Park Hospital site. Its current base is a warehouse in Burley.
From its beginning, the furniture store's board of Trustees has been led by Hilary Willmer.
Its co-ordinator is John Sherbourne. He said: "Besides providing furniture the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store can collect and re-condition a whole range of electrical appliances – fridges, freezers, vacuum cleaners, microwaves, cookers, washers etc."
"Financial support from such as Moortown Baptist Church, Leeds City Council and a small number of individuals, foundations and trusts helps greatly and is much appreciated, but keeping up with the demands of over 150 referral agencies puts a great strain on the charity's finances.
"To raise much-needed funds the store has launched the LMFS 20-20 VISION appeal. In this the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store's 20th year we are asking individuals or groups to donate 20. This can be done by sending a cheque to the store or by requesting, filling and returning a LMFS 20-20 VISION collection box. For every 20 donation, the donor will receive a LMFS 20-20 VISION coffee mug and a LMFS 20-20 VISION mouse-mat."
• Cheques can be made out to Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store and sent to 46 Burley St, Leeds, LS3 1LB. Contact 0113 243 5455
peter.lazenby@ypn.co.uk
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