Network Spotlight: Roots Timber Reuse
Saving Timber and Helping the Local Community in North Kent
Roots Timber Reuse CIC is a Community Interest Company based just outside Rochester in Kent, which provides waste wood collection services for Dartford, Gravesham, the Medway area and North Kent. As well as selling wood saved from the waste stream to the local community and making bespoke wooden products, the Roots team are always on the lookout for local projects which can benefit from donations of timber.
One beneficiary is a project based at HMP Maidstone. Timber donated by Roots is used by the prisoners to create various wooden designs and projects, helping to give them a purpose and learn new skills and setting them on a path away from reoffending, so making our communities safer. The products are donated to Maidstone-based charity Making Miracles’ shop, Handmade with Love, to sell to raise money for their amazing cause.
Enterprise Manager Lee Corrigan says
“We are so proud to be involved with Making Miracles, it’s such a worthwhile charity, working to give all families the support, services and tools that they need to help them after birth trauma and baby bereavement. It’s amazing to see how much of a difference waste wood that would otherwise have been sent off in a skip can make.”
Take a look Making Miracles’ website for more information:
Roots have also donated timber to HMP Standford Hill, an open prison which prepares men for release through giving them the opportunity to work. This work experience, and the skills they develop, are key to allowing them to reintegrate into society. The prison has a reoffending rate that is four times less than the national average. The timber workshop produces a range of products, from tables to Christmas ornaments which are sold to the public at The Emporium, part of a cluster of businesses just outside the prison where the local community are welcomed, and where the men gain experience of a normal working environment. The shop has been fitted out by the men working alongside staff, using reclaimed wood. The prison’s workshop manager says of the scheme:
“The men who work for us are passionate about what they do. We have varying levels of experience and some join us with virtually no wood skills to start. To see them blossom is a joy and the pride they have when they have created something makes my job worthwhile.”
Another example of Roots’ support for the local community came when cable reels collected from a terminal by the River Thames were donated to St Margaret’s Infant School in Rainham. A teacher from the school said
“I think I can speak for the school that these have already been put to good use in the pre-school and infant school by all the kids in the woodland work shop… So a really big thank you to Roots Timber Reuse CIC”
Roots also make regular donations to Second Chance Animal Rescue, an animal sanctuary in Kent. The wood is used to make shelters and enclosures, and to build fencing to keep the animals secure.
Changing Lives
Sanija’s Story
Sanija joined Roots Timber Reuse in 2021 through the government-backed Kickstart scheme. When she started she had very little workplace-based experience and was keen to develop her carpentry skills. Initially, she helped with the processing of the wood brought back to the yard from collections, including de-nailing and sorting.
As her confidence and skills grew, she moved into the workshop making products for sale, and started dealing with customers in the wood store. This opportunity to gain experience alongside the Community Wood Recycling training programmes has allowed Roots to offer Sanija a permanent job at the end of her Kickstart placement, and she is now a very valued member of the collection team and carpenter in the workshop. She will continue to develop her career throughout her time at Roots, collecting wood from sites and turning it into high-quality furniture.
Sanija says
“I have really enjoyed my time at Roots Timber. I feel like I fit in well, and it’s a good environment to learn new skills in so I am picking up everything quickly. I like being able to work in a calm environment and learn new skills without feeling under pressure to do everything correctly the first time.”
Lee Corrigan says
“Sanija is doing amazingly well within all areas of the project. She has now obtained her CSCS card with us and is now a very valued member of staff.
Want to get involved?
There are all kinds of ways to support our work while getting a great deal. If you work at a business which creates a lot of wood waste, you can use our wood waste collection service. If you’re interested in timber, wooden products, or volunteering, get in touch with your local enterprise to find out more.