Swish event raises £1145 for Thurso Community Café
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A community café has received a welcome boost of £1145 thanks to the sale of safety clothing donated by a company that provides industrial services to the oil industry.
Volunteers at the Thurso Community Café were inundated with requests for the personal protective equipment (PPE) when news of the swish event was announced last month.
Behind the idea for the PPE sale was Altrad Services scaffold foreman Billy Brock, whose wife Ann runs the café.
Billy, who works on the Serica Bruce platform, noticed that the company he worked for had a small amount of old branded PPE lying unused in the store which got him thinking, and he decided to find out if there was a chance the equipment could be donated to charity.
Altrad Services general manager David Strang not only agreed to the request but arranged for the old gear in the Aberdeen business unit to be catalogued and shipped to Thurso.
"The response was mind-blowing," Billy said.
"When I first laid eyes on the amount of PPE that had been delivered I initially thought that we would have to spread it out over the next year but the response from the community was unbelievable. Fishermen, crofters self-employed workmen and general members of the community flooded to the event.
"Volunteers were inundated with calls and messages asking for things to be kept aside for them and the event could not have been any better if we had tried."
Unlike most conventional cafés, this one in Thurso is run on donations with no price list or financial expectations.
Situated at the town's harbour, the facility has become a hub for tackling not only hunger and hard times but also for discussing social issues by helping people who are struggling with substance dependency, loneliness and depression.
With the café’s ethos, it runs swish events where people take old or unwanted items to be upcycled within the community. These events have proved crucial in continuing to keep the service operational.
The sale of PPE raised un unprecedented amount and was the most successful swish event held by the café to date.
Ann Brock said: "The money is vital, especially at this time of year. It has come at a good time for us when things are quieter."
She explained that the sale of PPE was held at their second swish event and said the place was "mobbed" with people eager to buy items.
It is hoped to run swish events every two or three months with details given in advance on the café's Facebook page. People can come along and swap items or make donations.
Ann said the community café was going "really well" with a good range of people using the facility.
"We have people coming along who need fed, while others just come along to support us," she said.
The café is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm. Teas, coffees, cakes and sandwiches are on offer as well as breakfasts and soups.
All donations go into a box so people do not feel self-conscious about their current situation.
Ann says it is somewhere people can come and express themselves while feeling safe.
The café depends on volunteers who give up their time week after week, as well as donations.
