Liverpool John Moores University have cleared their former campus at IM Marsh and enlisted the help of Johnsons 1871 and Bulky Bob’s for Business to organise and facilitate the donation of thousands of reusable items to charities, community groups and schools.
This project has brought economic, environmental and societal benefits, as these items will no longer face impending disposal at landfill, or the more sustainable but still impactful recycling process. The university’s used items now encounter a preferred outcome in the waste hierarchy, and have been made available to the local community, including schools and charities, free of charge. This not only reduces the amount of money required, but also reduces the environmental impact of using raw materials and manufacturing new furniture, so a better outcome for the environment.
The project involved the administrative input of LJMU, headed by recent graduate, Andrea Craig, Johnsons 1871 who categorised the many items and created the online portal, allowing users to reserve products, and Bulky Bob’s for Business, who publicised the project and provided the logistical delivery of donations to the recipients.
Shaun Doran, CEO of FRC Group said:
“This has been a very exciting and successful project which has received an overwhelming response. We are so pleased that it has granted reuse to over 3000 quality items from LJMU campuses, bringing both societal and environmental benefits. It was promising to see that there was such an interest in the used furniture and classroom equipment, so we really hope that this partnership will encourage other organisations to enlist our services to make used goods available to schools, charities and community groups in need.”
Mark Nevitt, Head of Business and Stakeholder Services at LJMU said:
“It is great to see the furniture being reused and helping out so many local groups and organisations. The mission of the Furniture Resource Centre is to end furniture poverty. We are delighted to work in partnership with them and Johnsons minimising our environmental impact”.
Within the first week, 750 accounts were registered to the portal, demonstrating the sheer amount of people who are in need or would be very interested in used furniture and equipment. The parties involved with this project hope that this will encourage other organisations to donate and reuse where possible.
To find out more about the exciting work of Bulky Bob’s for Business, visit www.bulkybobs.co.uk or call 0151 702 0550.
The MRW National Recycling Awards are the most prestigious awards in the recycling and resource management sector, with winning projects and teams recognised for their achievements within the industry.
FRC Group have been shortlisted in the ‘Innovation’ category in recognition of their new and innovative ‘UltraClean Mattress Machine’, the first automated mattress cleaning machine in the world. It delivers high quality, clean and fresh mattresses, giving them a new and extended life. This means good as new, clean mattresses can make their way to those in need as quickly as possible, or even be returned to accommodation providers for ongoing use rather than buying new mattresses. The machine can be viewed in action here
Shaun Doran, CEO at FRC Group said “In designing and developing the UltraClean Mattress Machine, FRC Group have created a new technology and business model that will result in a positive environmental impact as mattresses move up the waste hierarchy, and at the same time help make a difference in our mission as a social enterprise to End Furniture Poverty. We congratulate all finalists and are keeping our fingers crossed for a win!”
Finalists will gather at a glittering awards ceremony at the stunning London Hilton Hotel on Park Lane on 8th December 2021, where the winners will be announced.
The annual NatWest SE100 Social Business Awards recognises the most outstanding achievers in UK social enterprise, with top awards in six categories.
As previous winners in two categories and inaugurated into the Hall of Fame, FRC Group have won this year’s award for Growth Champion and have been Highly Commended in the Impact Management category in this year’s nominations.
With the uncertainty and turbulence for every business over the last 18 months, FRC Group have demonstrated how well they can adapt, thrive and continue to grow during a period with so many social challenges across society.
Shaun Doran, CEO of FRC Group said:
“FRC Group are delighted and proud that the hard work and dedication shown by everyone in the business, and continued growth of FRC throughout the pandemic, has been recognised in our winning this growth award. To also be highly commended in the Impact Management category demonstrates that our social impact is being recognised which is fantastic and reflects in our mission to End Furniture Poverty and to continue to deliver a positive future for those that need it most.”
FRC Group have also been listed in the NatWest SE100 list which celebrates UK social enterprises that are judged on a wide range of criteria – from the growth and sustainability to the innovation and resilience they have demonstrated and the social impact they have delivered.
To find out more about the exciting work of FRC Group, visit www.frcgroup.co.uk or call 0151 702 0550.
FRC Group have signed up to a Government initiative, the Prompt Payment Code which is viewed as the gold standard for payment practices. It means that they pay 95% of small business supplier invoices within 30 days or according to agreed payment terms if less so treat them fairly. They also commit to pay 95% of all invoices (from large and small suppliers) within 60 days.
From their customers’ perspective, it gives them confidence that FRC Group adopt good practice within their supply chain and shows that FRC share the same values as them, as many of their customers are now also signed up to the Code.
Finance Director, Tony Rowan commented:
“As a small but rapidly growing organisation ourselves, we know the importance of receiving timely payment from customers and always try to pay our own suppliers on time, particularly small suppliers. We recognise the important role our suppliers play in enabling us to deliver our services and this partnership approach has contributed significantly to the growth we’ve experienced in recent years. As a result, we are pleased to sign up to the Prompt Payment Code and in doing so, demonstrate the value we place on our suppliers and our commitment to making prompt payment.”
FRC Group is a collection of social enterprises and registered charities, including Bulky Bob’s, FRC and Buckingham Interiors, with a mission to End Furniture Poverty.
Millions of people across the UK are living without essential furniture items and white goods, living in furniture poverty, and it can have a devastating impact on their lives.
Bulky Bob’s holds bulky household waste contracts with Liverpool City Council and Oldham Council and all furniture items collected that are suitable for reuse are either given away through local crisis referral networks or sold at low prices at one of their Bulky Bob’s Furniture World stores. Everything else is responsibly recycled.
FRC supplies contract standard furniture to social housing providers and local authorities across the UK, while Buckingham Interiors offers bespoke interior design services and furnishing to the senior living market.
FRC and Buckingham Interiors are 100% not-for-profit commercial businesses with all surpluses reinvested back into the organisation to fund a salaried training programme and their End Furniture Poverty campaign – raising awareness through vital research, helping those in need access essential furniture, and working closely with social housing providers, local authorities and grant givers to improve furniture provision.
Helen White, Director of FRC Group said: “We are delighted to win this award for the second time. It not only acknowledges and rewards the great work that we do, but also demonstrates that a social enterprise and charity can compete at the highest level in the business world. We will continue with our battle to end furniture poverty and to deliver a fantastic service to our customers across the UK.”
FRC Group are always looking for innovative new ways to create social value and most recently launched the world’s first ‘UltraClean Mattress Machine’, with a seven-stage automated cleaning process to extend the lifespan of preloved mattresses by cleaning them to hospital standards of sanitation. This reduces waste going to landfill and produces great quality preloved mattresses for use by those most in need.
To find out more about the exciting work of FRC Group, visit www.frcgroup.co.uk or call 0151 702 0550.
Media enquiries
Contact:
Jayne Kennedy – Head of Marketing
marketing@frcgroup.co.uk
07961 647 419
Cyber security is so important in the current climate as smartphones, computers and the internet are now such a fundamental part of modern life, and it’s more important than ever to take steps to prevent cyber criminals obtaining accounts information, business, personal and competitively sensitive data. It’s also important to prevent access to electronic devices remotely by those wanting to do harm.
At FRC Group we take cyber security seriously, so have worked hard to become officially accredited with the prestigious Cyber Essentials certification. Cyber Essentials is a Government backed scheme that helps businesses protect their organisation against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks.
FRC Group IT Manager, Dave Sharp commented:
“We have demonstrated that we have technical measures in places, such as firewalls, antivirus, multi-factor authentication etc, backed by company processes and procedures to ensure that cyber threats (from both external and internal sources) is minimised. This helps give us a little more peace of mind that we are doing what we can to ensure we have a secure IT infrastructure.”
Cyber Essentials gives us protection against a wide variety of the most common cyber-attacks, simply because these attacks are looking for targets who do not have the Cyber Essentials technical controls in place.
Having this accreditation shows our commitment to cyber security and gives reassurance to our customers and suppliers alike.
FRC Group are proud to be a Living Wage Accredited Employer. The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate that is voluntarily paid by over 7,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets everyday needs. Paying a decent wage to staff has well-documented benefits, including improved productivity and retention, together with lower staff training costs.
FRC became an accredited Living Wage employer in 2018, ensuring that all permanently employed staff are paid at least the UK Living Wage rate. This one of FRC Group’s long-term investments in their people, based on their core values and beliefs.
Director of People and Culture, Collette Williams said:
“Paying our staff a wage that affords them a decent standard of living is fundamentally important to who we are as a business and the values we hold.”
“In 2001 families came together and started a campaign to be paid a real Living Wage. Since then hundreds of thousands of families have benefited and been able to earn a wage they can live on. But the job isn’t done – 20.3% of all workers in the UK still don’t earn a real Living Wage.”
“Understanding the benefits of being paid the real Living Wage and knowing that we are contributing to that is so important to us and everything we do.”
Liverpool headquartered social enterprise FRC Group have a vision of a society where people can obtain good quality, affordable furniture without experiencing the devastating impacts of furniture poverty – no bed to sleep on or unmanageable debts.
FRC Group consists of much-loved Furniture collection service Bulky Bob’s, who upcycle items for distribution via their Liverpool Bulky Bob’s Furniture World store to those most in need. FRC Group also runs Furniture Resource Centre, selling new contract standard furniture to social housing providers across the country, and Buckingham Interiors, providing bespoke interior design and furniture to care homes UK-wide. As a not-for-profit organisation, any profit goes into the furthering of their campaigning arm to ‘End Furniture Poverty’, innovating new solutions and ultimately into their operations to get furniture to those most in need.
Shaun Doran, CEO of FRC Group said “We are absolutely over the moon to receive the Corporate Social Responsibility Award as this year’s Echo Environment Awards. Our mission is to reduce and ultimately eradicate furniture poverty. We campaign to raise awareness of furniture poverty and create practical solutions to get furniture to people who need it. Our work also helps create sustainable employment and better futures for people.
We are always looking to maximise the social value we create, and recently launched the World’s 1st UltraClean Mattress cleaning machine, who’s seven stage automated cleaning process gets preloved mattresses to standards of cleanliness almost usable in a hospital operating theatre. This then means these preloved mattresses can not only be diverted from landfill, but as importantly, can make their way to those most in need.
This award is truly deserved recognition of the hard work and dedication of the FRC Group team. They always make an entirely brilliant and dedicated effort to achieving our End Furniture Poverty goal, and none more so than over the last very challenging 12 months.”
To find out more about the brilliant work FRC Group do visit www.frcgroup.co.uk or call 0151 702 0550.
Media enquiries
Contact:
Jayne Kennedy – Head of Marketing
marketing@frcgroup.co.uk
07961 647 419
The automated UltraClean machine line processes up to 8 mattresses per hour, meaning huge volumes of mattresses can be given a new and extended life, and good as new, clean mattresses can make their way to those in need as quickly as possible.
At the heart of the solution is the UltraClean seven stage process. The process ensures high quality, pre-loved mattresses, which may have been destined for landfill or broken down into parts for recycling, are UltraCleaned to remove:
The mattresses are restored to extremely high cleanliness levels and good as new. This is great news for the environment too. Every mattress which is reused saves 79.5 kg of CO2 which is the equivalent of taking 14 cars off the road for a day.
CEO of FRC Group, Shaun Doran commented:
“We are delighted to introduce our UltraClean Machine. This is the first of its kind and will make such a huge difference in our mission to End Furniture Poverty. Those in need will receive high quality mattresses, and at the same time this will have a positive impact on the environment, as disposal or recycling is not needed. “
The UltraClean Mattress Cleaning Machine is the latest in a long line of innovations for FRC Group to ensure those who need essential items, such as mattresses and other furniture items, can have them.
If you’re interested in our UltraClean Mattress Cleaning Machine can visit www.frcgroup.co.uk or call 0151 702 0550.
Liverpool’s FRC Group, which includes Bulky Bob’s, has won the Social Enterprise of the Year at the UK Social Enterprise Awards, held at the Guildhall in central London on the evening of 4 December.
The national Awards, organised by Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) recognise excellence and outstanding achievements by social enterprises, businesses set up to for a social or environmental purpose. From tackling the climate emergency to reducing homelessness, social enterprises are taking on some of the biggest challenges we face, using their profits to change lives and protect the planet.
There are 100,000 of these businesses in the UK contributing £60 billion to the economy and employing two million people.
Shaun Doran, CEO of FRC Group, said: “It is a great honour to be named UK Social Enterprise of the Year!
“Winning does matter to us because it’s an opportunity for all of our employees, trainees, volunteers, and customers to remember that working for us, or with us, means they are part of an organisation that does a great job and makes a real difference.
“We were shortlisted in five categories, highly commended in two, and then won the big award of the night so it is a huge achievement for us and we are proud of everyone at FRC Group and grateful for the part they have played in our success.”
FRC Group, a collection of social enterprises and registered charities, has over 30 years of experience in ending furniture poverty through innovation, creativity and hard work.
Furniture Resource Centre sells new furniture to social landlords; Bulky Bob’s collects and redistributes preloved furniture to people in need; and Bulky Bob’s Office & Commercial Waste offers waste collection services – all 100% not-for-profit.
Their End Furniture Poverty campaign raises awareness and proposes solutions, while our salaried training programme Driving Change provides logistics training and support into employment.
FRC Group were highly commended in the Environmental Social Enterprise and Training, Jobs & Employment categories. They were also shortlisted in the Prove It-Social Impact and Social Investment Deal of the Year along with CAF Venturesome – Charities Aid Foundation.
The annual celebration of British social enterprises was hosted by musician, journalist and Church of England priest, Reverend Richard Coles.
Peter Holbrook, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK said: “The winners of this year’s UK Social Enterprise Awards show just how inspiring and vital the social enterprise movement is.
From tackling furniture and period poverty to taking ownership of their high streets and creating community owned renewable energy schemes– they show just how business can take on the biggest challenges we face and be a real force for good in this world.
The times we live in demand that we must change how we do business. Social enterprises are already taking on the triple threat of the climate emergency, rising social inequalities and an economy that is failing too many people. They are showing us what the future of business can, and must, look like.”
The Awards were sponsored by Big Society Capital, British Council, Cafédirect, The Co-op, Deloitte, GLL, Johnson & Johnson, Landmarc, Linklaters, PwC, Power to Change, Santander and SAP
Next Page »« Previous Page
