Our Story
In the summer of 2003 Ben Moss and Nicola Padden met a great man with a great idea. Richard Mehmed had founded the Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project in 1998 – a self funded social and environmental project, working with volunteers, saving resources and generating its' own income. His great idea was to roll out his business model to other towns and cities around the country. Ben and Nicola leapt at the opportunity, knowing that Bristol was fertile growing ground for such environmentally and socially progressive ideas. Bristol Wood Recycling Project was born.
By the start of 2004 Nicola and Ben had chanced upon a potential site for the Project- a disused council building, with a small parking lot- 'needing a lick of paint, but rent free and available for a short period' said the council email (five years on and we're still here!). A bid was placed, grovelling for any space possible, and much to our surprise and delight, we were offered the space! We could have all of the down stairs and the outside space, and another company were to have the upstairs!
All of a sudden ideas were turning in to reality and we needed to get serious about this. We made a logo. We registered the company. We blagged as much as we could- computer, fax, desk, sofa to make a little 'office'. We got some stationery and information sheets produced. We starting contacting businesses to see who we could collect wood from. We got some branded hooded tops locally produced. We got some publicity.
All that was missing was a vehicle- so we could start fulfilling our promises (not to mention stop the embarrassment of turning up on building sites on bicycles- builders were finding the whole concept difficult enough to deal with- let alone with us touting our services on bikes!). A bright green caged tipper ex council refuse van was spotted on a vehicle auction website, a hasty saturday morning journey to Merthyr Tydfil followed, and the aforementioned van was snapped up for under a grand. The engine seized on the maiden voyage, the repairs and MOT cost nearly two grand and nearly a month and all of a sudden this Bristol Wood Recycling Project idea was turning very serious! We had to make it work.... serious money (oh how naïve we were!) was at stake.
Nicola and Ben volunteered their time so there was always someone at the yard every day of the week. First collection contracts with building companies were secured. Volunteers were starting to come in and help with clearing, building, stacking, painting. Tools and machinery were being bought. The Bristol Evening Post did a big article on us.
We were starting to make some money! Ben realised that there was enough money coming in to pay the same as the other job he was doing for two days a week, so ditched the old job and started at the Project for five days a week on the same money.
BBC Points West did a story on us opening the Wood Shop. Fame, fortune, groupies and timber sales followed. Well.... at least the sales did.
We had a regular crew of volunteers, a yard full of sheds, filling up with loads of timber, and contracted collection clients committed to saving waste and reducing their waste disposal bills! An idea had grown from a seed, and was now definitely flowering!
Regular volunteers became employees- Nicola, Ben Foxwell, Hugh, Tashi... New Deal placements got paid jobs... then disappeared (much to our collective distress). Weird and wonderful characters (either in the form of customers or volunteers) turned in to mates. Young offenders tested our patience and 'New Deal'ers frustrated us.
The site filled to bursting point. We made ourselves unpopular with the neighbours and with the Health and Safety bureaucrats. We went begging to the Council for more space... and they doubled the size of our yard! Seeing the wonders we were doing for Bristol's economy, environment and society as a whole- how could they resist!?!
People left. New people came- Caroline, Ella, Tim. We bought another van. We turned three years old. We got on all sorts of local television- Points West (again!), HTV News, and the local weather (?). More fame fortune and groupies flocked to the yard. We had to put a limit to volunteer numbers each day to keep the situation manageable.
Gary joined the throng; Ben went on a sabbatical, leaving Ella at the helm. The Big Issue did an article on us. Lisa and Beth became employed as other staff left to pastures new. Maff and Nath came in to stabilise the office situation; then Jon, a long term volunteer became employed as supplementary van driver. BWRP now employed 8 members of staff.
In November, the Project recycled it’s 1000th tonne of wood!
With the New Year 2009 comes a slow down in collections (housing market crash!), and with it a drop in income and stock. The Project has had to shrink accordingly, down to six members of staff- but a with public hungry for re-used, affordable wood, and a corporate ‘clmate’ warmed to the idea of recycling and social awareness, and a workshop growing with tools and machinery, the future looks rosy for the Project.
Halleluia!