Joan Ruddock visits SOFA Project

On 22 January, Joan Ruddock MP, Labour's Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) visited the SOFA Project in Bristol, showing support for programmes of furniture re-use.

The SOFA Project is part of the Furniture Re-use Network (FRN), which co-ordinates the work of 307 organisations involved in re-use across the UK. The project not only reduces poverty (through the provision of re-used goods at affordable prices), but also diverts useable goods from landfill. Re-use is a better option than recycling, because it uses less energy.

In the last year, the FRN enabled three-quarters of a million low-income families to obtain furniture and electrical goods at affordable prices. FRN also provides valuable opportunities within communities. They have enabled 8,000 trainees to access training and qualifications in forklift truck driving, furniture building and electrical wiring.

During her visit, Ruddock was given a tour of the SOFA Project's main shop, where she met with both volunteers and service users of the project. She also observed work in the factory, which restores, tests and ships the goods.