A SCHEME which gives unwanted paint a new lease of life has celebrated its 18th birthday.

Community RePaint Swindon’s milestone anniversary has held a paint sale all week.

The charity operates a Community RePaint Scheme and collects donations of paint and redistributes it at a fraction of the original price. In 2016 alone they redistributed 7,027 litres of paint.

The scheme opened to the public on November 24, 1999, and over the past five years has prevented more than 25,000 litres of paint from going to waste.

As a result, more than 42,000 people in Swindon have benefitted from quality low-cost paint.

Scheme manager Olivia McCann said: “Community RePaint Swindon is a simple, local solution to the problem of leftover paint.

“By reusing paint in our community, we can bring colour to the lives of those who need it the most, and help to protect the planet by preventing good paint from being disposed of.

“We are also promoting a new range of Remix Chalky Furniture Paint in a selection of colours perfect for covering furniture without having to sand down the furniture first.

“You just paint on in layers till the furniture is completely covered. The furniture paint will be sold at £8 for a one-litre tub.

“The paint covers very well and looks fantastic - e have eight different colours to choose from.

“Our new range of Remix Chalk Furniture Paint is a fantastic way to upcycle furniture and give it a new lease of life.”

Community RePaint Swindon is part of a national network of more than 70 paint reuse schemes that redistributes paint to those in need.

Their objective is to improve people’s wellbeing and the appearance of places they live and work in.

The scheme is run by Swindon Children’s Scrapstore, which is a registered charity, community resource centre and social enterprise set up in 1985.

Call Community RePaint Swindon on 01793 513982. It can be found at Unit 7, Bramble Close, Elgin Industrial Estate, and is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and Saturday, 10am until 2pm.