Big plans for new Phoenix Resource Centre in Rushden as volunteers get to work helping the local community

When the opportunity arose to set up shop in Rushden’s Portland Road on July 23, bosses saw it as the perfect opportunity to provide a lifeline to all corners of the local community.

The recycling service sees an influx of items varying from food to arts and craft, and school resources come through its doors, all of which would otherwise have been sent to landfill. Instead, dedicated centre volunteers work to provide creative solutions to complex problems, selflessly giving their time to see to it that people are given the best chance to succeed.

Andrew Richardson founded Phoenix Resources in 2009, and since then it has grown exponentially.

He said: "You’ve got your food banks sorting medium term problems but no-one covers the short term and the crisis period. That’s what we do, our crisis intervention parcels are expanding because we don’t like sitting still.

"When a family goes into crisis, particularly when they’ve left an abusive relationship, they move, and they’ve basically got the bare minimum.

"We don’t want the end user to feel beholden to us, we’re just there to help.”

Inside the unit, walls are stacked high with all manner of items saved from the scrapyard, most of which consists of brand-new items that often were surplus, and thus passed to Phoenix Resource Centre. Decorating the walls is unclaimed artwork from students, which would have been discarded had it not been for the Phoenix Resources Centre swooping in to save them.

Stock is checked for quality and then organised into different areas of the unit, including a dedicated area for school supplies, as well as a fully-furnished meeting room which bosses hope will be used for off-site gatherings by schools, community groups, and more.

The outreach of Phoenix Resources is global, with charitable efforts extending to 62 countries in all corners of the globe including Djibouti, Ghana, and more. Irene Alford volunteers at the centre, making one-of-a-kind children’s clothing using surplus materials such as pillow cases. Despite being incredibly detailed and well-crafted, Irene estimates that each garment takes around an hour and a half to complete.

A community kitchen and coffee shop will soon be installed in one of the areas of the building, hoping to bring locally-cooked food to those in need.

Also planned for September is the Men’s Shed, an initiative that hopes to help those who fancy themselves as handymen to channel their talents into something constructive. A charitable deed saw the centre come into possession of a convertible Morris Minor in need of attention, and bosses are hoping to get people to help restore it to its best so that it can be sold to raise funds for the charity.

Andrew added: “We want people to run their own projects, it’s about self-empowerment.

"I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t like to have a feeling of empowerment, that feeling of being able to do a project without having to be micromanaged. It’s your space, it’s your project.”

When asked why he and the rest of the volunteers at the Phoenix Resource Centre so generously give their time, Andrew simply said ‘because I feel like I should.’

Phoenix Resource Centre in Rushden is open from 10am until 4pm on Tuesdays, 10am until 7pm on Thursdays, and Saturday from 10am until 2pm.