Celebrating the renewal of our Social Enterprise Mark accreditation

‘Making a Mark’

Mark Holder Social Impact Declaration

SOFA Project

Named from the acronym to Shift Old Furniture Around, ‘SOFA’ Project collects good quality furniture and appliances from local households and businesses in Bristol, to be fully refurbished and sold at as low a price as possible in our retail outlets.

We divert items from landfill and unnecessary recycling by collecting unwanted furniture and electrical appliances from households and businesses and then extend their life through re-use.

We help those in need by supplying low cost household items through our retail activities. In partnership with other charities, we supply items free to those most in need.

To support our activities, we work with other local organisations providing work placements and work experience to those, who, for a number of reasons are currently excluded from the job market.

The Social Enterprise Mark criteria includes a requirement for all applicants and renewing Mark Holders to provide ‘social impact statements’, which illustrate how they are striving to meet their social/environmental objectives.

Below are examples of how SOFA Project is Making a Mark, striving to create a positive impact on people and planet.

Benefitting people and planet

We offer work placements and volunteering opportunities to those currently excluded from employment. Working to refurbish the items that we collect provides good training and work experience opportunities.

In 2016, we provided over 45 full time work placements to serving offenders from HMP Leyhill, and we also started providing work placements to young people aged 18-24 with learning disabilities.

Our main activity continues to be around reuse & recycling, helping to decrease the amount of household waste going to landfill.

Supporting the local community

We have serviced our local community in Bristol by providing a retail opportunity selling reused furniture, white goods and clothing.

Our social objectives include providing household goods to people on low incomes. It’s not possible to provide a number for how many customers we have each year as we are open to everyone.

Anyone at all can shop with us, we are open to all. We are sited close to communities in deprived areas of Bristol including Lawrence Hill, Easton and St Paul’s.