Necessary Furniture - Canterbury's affordable outlet
Canterbury charity Necessary Furniture has been providing affordable furnishings to families for more than 25 years
Long before the upcycling boom and the growth of charity-shop chic, Necessary Furniture (@NecessaryFurniture) on the outskirts of Canterbury was creating a positive change with its charitable model of selling furniture for low cost.
Started in 1997 by a group of like-minded individuals, Necessary Furniture moved to its site in Hersden 20 years ago and has grown its team of eight staff as the demand for affordable furniture has deepened in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis.
Tobin Wallace-Sims, chair of the trustees for the charity, explains that, while Necessary Furniture is 24 years old, right now it’s more relevant than ever.
“I think what makes it different from a charity shop, in a sense, is that it doesn’t sell items to raise money for a particular charity or cause. It collects furniture so those who can’t afford to buy furniture are able to buy furniture.
“You can furnish a little flat probably for about £400-£500 from scratch. I mean, that would include a fridge and a freezer and possibly a cooker as well… as well as a three-piece suite, table, four chairs, beds and a wardrobe.
“Our main intention is not to make profit. It’s to enable us to continue the work of providing support for families in need. Because of the cost-of-living crisis, having always been pretty relevant to a particular group of people, it’s now becoming more widely relevant.”
The team at Necessary Furniture collect donations, often after the passing of a loved one, and can be on hand to take away unwanted furnishings as well as electronics and kitchen utensils as they have a qualified PAT (portable appliance tester) to make sure that electrical goods are safe.
As well as being able to buy furnishings at a hugely subsidised rate, customers can also get them delivered to their home for a contribution to travel costs.
“It’s minimal in the sense that if you’ve got a sofa and two armchairs, it will probably cost you a tenner to have them delivered,” says Tobin. “And we can go into your house and put them where you want them, not just dump them on your doorstep. We’ve got a good understanding of people’s needs and, obviously, quite often the people we’re collecting from are elderly and quite often the people we’re delivering to are elderly as well.”
With thousands of items coming in and going out of the warehouse each month, Necessary Furniture wouldn’t be able to function without its team of volunteers, organising the stock and getting it cleaned up and ready for sale.
“The place only functions because of the voluntary work that the trustees and the volunteers put in,” says Tobin. “The fact that the staff are happy with their work makes a really big difference. It’s a good place to be, there’s a nice atmosphere there and people are driven by a sense of common purpose. And I think that’s very important - it’s a good example of people pulling together.”
