Carlton charity calling on creatives for scrapheap challenge competition

Well if the answer is yes, Emmaus Village Carlton is calling on folks like you to take part in a special Scrapheap Challenge.

Emmaus runs a large charity store near Carlton; participants in the challenge will be invited to visit their on-site recycling area where unsellable donated items are sorted. They will be given the chance to select objects which are otherwise destined for landfill, including metal, wood, plastics and white goods components, to take home and create something new with them.

During national Recycle Week (23 – 29 September) the Scrapheap Challenge creations will be displayed and put to a public vote to find the favourite. They will then go on sale in the Emmaus Village Carlton Home Store. Proceeds will help fund the charity’s outreach work on the streets of Bedford and Northampton, where they hand out supplies and offer support to rough sleepers.

Local metal artist Henry Parrott is supporting the Scrapheap Challenge by creating something unique for it.

He said: “I started welding as a hobby six years ago. As my skills improved, I realised that people really appreciated my creations when I gave them as gifts so I started selling them too. The pieces I create are made from things that would otherwise be thrown away. It feels good to take a few things from a skip and make a candle holder, for example. I’m looking forward to joining in the Emmaus Village Carlton Scrapheap Challenge and would encourage others to have a go too – it’s all for a good cause and it’s amazing what you can make from scrap.”

Tom Blight, Emmaus Village Carlton’s re-use and recycling manager, said: “We’re very excited about the Scrapheap Challenge. People donate thousands of unwanted items to our Home Store each year but sadly not all of them are of a quality that can be resold, so we work hard to minimise waste and recycle as much as possible. This challenge is a chance for people to get creative with what would otherwise end up as landfill.

"We hope people will use their imagination to create something useful or beautiful – or both! The final exhibition and sale during Recycle Week will help to highlight the importance of re-using items and also raise vital funds to help local people who are homeless.”

Emmaus Village Carlton supports 42 formerly homeless people by giving them a home, meaningful work in a social enterprise and an opportunity to regain lost self-esteem to help rebuild their lives.

The Scrapheap Challenge items will be displayed and sold at the Emmaus Village Carlton Home Store, School Lane, Carlton, MK43 7LQ.

Anyone interested in entering the Scrapheap Challenge should email Tom Blight by the end of August on [email protected] to arrange a visit to choose their scrapheap items.

To find out more about Emmaus Village Carlton visit www.emmaus.org.uk/village_carlton