Grandad’s Front Room CIC is a volunteer-run furniture re-use shop in Bognor Regis.
Grandad’s Front Room started in 2015 when Danny Dawes and partner Reni Tyrolczyk started buying misspelt items of furniture – “droors instead of drawers, cubbord instead of cupboard” – on eBay to upcycle and sell on. They realised that others were struggling more than they were, so they started giving the items away to those in need. The project started in a thatched barn with a soil floor, one electrical socket, no water and triangular holes in the walls for windows. Grandad’s Front Room has since moved to a shop front and been awarded many prizes for its work in the community, including gold at the 2019 Small Business Big Heart awards.
What’s happened to your business during the coronavirus lockdown?
A lot of social enterprises are opening their arms wider. Traditional business have always existed to bank profit whereas social enterprises are there to effect change. In our business, the one thing we would like to bank tears and smiles, and if we could our bank accounts would be huge.
The other day a lady said thank you and gave me £10. That broke me … in a good way.
We can’t open the doors and we have had to restrict delivery on certain things to observe social distancing rules. The homeless have come off the street and gone into accommodation that is furnished. In the longer term, if they are moved into longer-term accommodation there will be a need for furniture. We’ve got demand for fridges: one person called up and needed a fridge to keep their insulin cold. You have things that break and people coming out of hospitals that need cots for newborns.
We made a special visit last week to Grandad’s Front Room in Bognor Regis to celebrate them winning the Small Business Big Heart award, run by @Be_theBoss.
A Community Business Trade Up grantee, Grandad’s run a valuable community project, centred around their second-hand shop. pic.twitter.com/PGxkNY17Aj
— Power to Change (@peoplesbiz) November 14, 2019
How are they working together?
I have always felt that we have social enterprises and community interest companies that act in a Venn diagrams, with ten circles on top of one another and on the periphery they did something different. Funders were giving money to groups, but if they all came together they would have got twice as much done for half the price.
In this area, My Sister’s House CIC are the specialists in domestic abuse and Crimsham Farm CIC are there for veterans, their families and people struggling with additional needs; These groups have always complimented each others services but there has been overlap.
Now, if My Sister’s House need a fridge they give Grandad’s Front Room a call and we help, or we need fruit and veg we can call Crimsham Farm and if we realise someone is at risk of domestic abuse we can refer to and rely on My Sister’s House.
Now people are playing to their strengths, their specialist areas and it’s as if the roots have spread and made the tree of provision stronger and more stable.
West Sussex County Council have set up the West Sussex Community Hub and on there people have been asked to register their strengths. It’s really working and it will change the layout of things afterwards.
How so?
For the first time, I see a social leveller; coronavirus is a leveller that doesn’t respect boundaries of wealth, colour, creed, religion, geographic location… anything.
If you look at other diseases, challenges or epidemics you will see that many have not impacted ALL sectors of society whereas the coronavirus has. If you look at the government’s indices of multiple deprivation you will see proof in the details of mortality rates and health that different sectors of society are affected at alarmingly different degrees. A lot of people who have never been at risk before, are not immune any more, and it’s opened their eyes. I think a few people have been given a humanity reality check. This sickness has gone straight through the middle with no respect for anyone or any boundaries.
People are pulling together to provide this and that. That’s one thing that this area has really done: the social enterprises have come together and played to their strengths and tried to do it themselves.
What are you doing to respond?
We’re signposting. The last thing people need is to phone up for help and for someone to say: “I don’t do that.” And leave them dead in the water wondering where to turn. Now people are ringing up for help and we are able to point them in the right direction.
We have been liaising with Family Support Group, one of the oldest charities in the South East, to put craft packs together. People aren’t thinking that that’s a necessity, but when it comes to mental health these activities are essential especially for those families on low income in small homes often with no access to an outside area or garden.
The other day I was outside Morrisons collecting a load of easter eggs they had donated to children. I was putting the eggs in my van and this lady came out and said: “Are you Grandads? Thank you for everything you’re doing.” Then she went off to a cashpoint and gave me £10. I’m 6’1 and 20 stone. I’m a big lad. But it brought a tear to my eye. Then another five people gave me £10 each too, so I had a van full of Easter Eggs for kids and £60 to put the diesel in the community van to keep doing this for a little bit longer. That broke me … in a good way.
Have you lost income?
The only income we had was our shop, from house clearances, and we haven’t got that anymore. I haven’t got anything except for applying for funding and crossing our fingers. We’ve put in for the £10,000 from the government and we will keep going until I haven’t got a penny in the bank. We have had to change our model, move online, use social media channels… meet the challenge face on and evolve.
The thing is the community interest companies, the smaller groups, are very reactive, like a little speedboat, if you want us to go right we’ll go right immediately. If you ask a big charity to react to coronavirus they are going to take a lot longer as they are like an oil tanker… they have many services on board and a huge crew but they are not as reactive. Together the speed boats and oil tankers can make a huge difference but they MUST come together, complement each other and work together for the benefit of all.
Do you have a good relationship with the council?
Split the council into officers and councillors. The officers at West Sussex County Council are fantastic. They have reacted to this challenge in such a way that is unbelievable. They are an oil tanker but somehow they have become agile, nimble and extremely reactive.
Peter Lawrence, head of Partnership and Communities team at West Sussex County Council and Jo Cook in the same team (she is wonderful) have proved that having your finger on the pulse of the community enables you to serve it beyond anything that was expected from anyone; they have done an exemplary job.
But you have to separate the councils into councillors and officers because in my area of Bognor Regis I haven’t heard a peep from my councillors.
What should the government do?
They have said they will assist businesses and charities which is good but if you look at the government’s charities commission guidelines they say that a charity should keep (on average) 3 to 9 months operating capital in reserve which means that charities such as Comic Relief have approximately £100 million (2018/19) in reserve which is abhorrent in these times of emergency.
The government should revisit the regulations and change them, and enable charities to use some of their reserves so that they can put that money to work in communities.
