A community recycling and DIY organisation has opened a new store in the Fens – inside a mothballed supermarket which has been shut for three years.
Cambridgeshire Community Reuse & Recycling Network (CCORRN) has opened ‘Wisbech Works’ at the former Budgens store at the Horsefair Shopping Centre in Wisbech.
CCORRN say there are no plans to close their popular March store on Commercial Road and their new site will allow residents to “access our products more easily”.
They will sell “rescued resources creatively repurposed”, home decor and DIY supplies, workwear, arts and crafts and furniture after opening on August 17.
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A spokesman said: “Some of you may already know our recycled paint which is made in March is stocked in shops across the UK.
“However, as we don’t have stockists nearby, we’ve decided to listen to our customers and open this shop in Wisbech.
“There are so many more exciting reuse, recycling and repurposing things we’d also like to do.
“This new shop in Wisbech will hopefully ensure Wisbech residents can access our products and services more easily as well as making it easier to manage social distancing.
“Members of the factory shop and scrapstore based in March, rest assured that will remain; it is not going anywhere.
“The Wisbech shop is going to be a purely retail shop which will not require membership however prices will be at our retail prices.
“Existing members of the March Centre will be able to purchase from the Wisbech shop at a discounted rate on certain product lines.
“We will also be stocking furniture items and our work wear ranges too.”
MORE: Hundreds of boxes of DIY rainbow kits sent to children in Fenland during lockdown
CCORN, which launched in 2011, makes use of unwanted paint left sitting in garages across the county, giving it to charities and people in need.
They have already had shoppers in their shiny new store collecting DIY ‘Boxes of Rainbows’, an initiative they launched to keep people crafty during lockdown.
The project has provided free creative resources to hundreds of families, the first 200 boxes went to over 450 children across the region.
Support for the project has come in from Cambridgeshire County Council, Fenland District Council, 20Twenty Productions and Clarion Futures.
Boxes of Rainbows have also received support from the Oasis Community Centre, People and Animals, Living Sport, Active Fenland, March Food Bank, CHS and Smurfit Kappa.
For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/WisbechWorks
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