IoD shines a light on the work of Recycling Lives
Recycling Lives is a charity and social enterprise based in Preston, Lancashire. It supports homeless men and offenders back into work and helps them to find a place they can call home. The charity is also a FareShare distributor of food, helping to tackle food poverty and food waste in Lancashire.
Recycling Lives Chief Executive Alasdair Jackson says: “We simply exist to help people. As a team, we have a motto – no stone left unturned. We really want to make a difference and that’s what makes Recycling Lives a very special place.”
IoD Lancashire is supporting the work of Recycling Lives by shining a spotlight on its projects and how they are making a difference to people’s lives.
Branch chair Martyn Jones hosted an exclusive members’ event at the charity’s base in Preston, enabling them to go behind the scenes and meet members of its 45-strong team and importantly, the people it is helping.
Martyn said: “I was blown away by the work of Recycling Lives and wanted to raise its profile among our members. The event delivered a really detailed look at what the charity does. We were able to meet people being helped through the different programmes – it really was quite humbling.”
Recycling Lives was born out of a waste recycling business, moving into the charity sector to support local communities by providing wraparound care and support. It still recycles waste, mainly domestic products such as televisions and gas meters as a way of income.
Grants from funds like the National Lottery and support from donor organisations help enable the charity to provide its three main services:
· FareShare logistics for Lancashire – working with a small number of not-for-profit organisations to distribute food to school clubs, food banks and more, providing 3 million meals a year and reducing food waste
· Residential programme for homeless men – operating a 10-bed facility, providing a learning and life skills programme to help each individual secure their own accommodation and a job
· Rehabilitation programme for offenders – working with several prisons, delivering workshops to support individuals back into work, find homes and avoid re-offending.
Only 4% off those in the programme re-offend.
Recycling Lives also provides support to ex-offenders with poor mental health and drug and alcohol issues through its ACE project. In addition, working with Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food, it operates a food training kitchen teaching basic food skills, hygiene and nutrition.
Alasdair, a member of the IoD Lancashire branch, adds: “We have a fantastic team at Recycling Lives who go above and beyond. We can’t help everyone but we do try to help where we can.”
Martyn said: “At the IoD, we talk about better directors making a better world. Recycling Lives is also creating a better world.”
