A CHARITY in Selby which provides affordable, second-hand furniture, has been given a cash boost.

Community Furniture Store Selby, based on Bawtry Road, has received £10,000 from the Coalfields Community Investment Programme, delivered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the only organisation dedicated to supporting former mining towns and villages.

The funding, which is the maximum grant awarded by the Coalfields Community Investment Programme, will contribute to the running costs of the workshop over the next eight months.

The workshop provides unemployed local people with experience and hands-on practical support intended to give participants the relevant skills and work experience needed to find employment in the future. It is anticipated that an additional 25 people will be trained in the workshop over the next eight months.

The charity re-uses, improves and up-cycles donated items of furniture and white goods that would otherwise go to landfill, providing local residents with eco-friendly and affordable home furnishings.

Rosalind Batchelor, chair of the trustees for the Selby Community Furniture Store, said: “Receiving the funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust means that we are able to extend the training we deliver from the store and provide more people in the community with affordable furniture. Better still, helping local people access training and develop their skills really does help them find work.”

“This is the third time we have received funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust’s Coalfields Community Investment Programme and we are extremely grateful for the support they have given us over the years.”