Surplus office supplies belonging to Hertfordshire Futures have gone on to support a number of good causes including raising money for a local charity helping families in need.  

A total of £1,450 was raised by staff purchasing old IT equipment. The money was donated to Hertfordshire Community Foundation which plans to use the funds to support families in crisis with grants for essentials such as beds for children.

Old office furniture was donated through JPA Workspaces to the Sele School in Hertford to be used around the school, including its new sixth form common room. Meeting room furniture was also donated to Community Alliance which aims to empower residents in Broxbourne and East Herts through a range of local initiatives. Following the delivery Fiona Edwards (JPA) and Sally Stanley (Hertfordshire Futures) visited Helen Kirby at Sele School to discuss plans for the furniture and for a tour of the site where the much appreciated donations were being integrated ready for the start of the new term.

Fiona Edwards, Head of Sustainability at JPA Workspaces said: "We liaised closely with Chris Dowton from Hertfordshire Futures, making contact with Helen Kirby at the Sele School in Hertford who was keen to accept the offer of 98 items of furniture including desks, bookcases, chairs, tables and cupboards. JPA teams collected and re-delivered all items from Letchworth, saving Sele over £9000 in furniture spend and approximately3530kg CO2e (3.5tonnes CO2e) a fantastic outcome for all parties.”

Hertfordshire Futures (formerly Hertfordshire LEP) moved out of its old office in Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation this summer when it became part of Hertfordshire County Council. The lead organisation for economic growth in the county now works out of the council’s head office in Stevenage. As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and inclusion, it contacted local causes to ensure the items did not go to waste.

Sally Stanley, Office Manager, Hertfordshire Futures, said: “I was thrilled that we were able to find such good uses for the surplus supplies. Thanks to staff generosity, Hertfordshire Futures has been able to give a helping hand to those in crisis. We were absolutely delighted when JPA Workspaces offered to rehome all our office furniture to the Sele School, Hertford. By quickly finding a sustainable and ingenious solution we were able to move into our new office knowing that this donation had made a positive social impact. I would like to extend my personal thanks to JPA Workspaces for acting so quickly on our behalf.”