North Herts CentreNHCVS Furniture Link Recycling Project - Background
The North Hertfordshire Council for Voluntary Services is a registered Charity (Charity no 1097796) and Limited Company (No 4693569). It has a board of directors managed by a chairperson as well as an executive director who oversees the project on their behalf. North Hertfordshire CVS (CVS) has overall responsibility for the Furniture Link Scheme and has successfully managed it for the past 6 years.
Furniture Link was originally started in 1992 by ‘The Lions’. They established that there was a need within the community of North Hertfordshire for low cost furniture to be sold to those on benefit or low income. This venture, although very small, proved to be very successful and in 1999 management of the project was taken over by the CVS. They successfully obtained Lottery funding and a rent-free warehouse from Letchworth Heritage Foundation enabling them to expand the project.
North Hertfordshire is a wealthy area but has pockets of deprivation such as the Westmill Estate in Hitchin, Jackmans and Grange estates in Letchworth. The estates have a large population of families and single parents receiving benefit