THE Old Farepak building in West Swindon is a cavernous place but to the Swindon Scrapstore it is home.

Earlier this year, the building that was its base in Cheney Manor was gutted by fire, but now it has moved to the three-floor building in Westmead which covers 26,000sq ft, compared to just 1,000sq ft the charity had previously.

“We have an enormous building which is fantastic,” said project manager, Olivia McCann.

“We are doing OK now. We were shut for two months after the fire but have now re-opened.”

“We have suffered reduced footfall since we re-opened as a lot of people did not know about the fire or that we had relocated.

“We are expanding our existing projects and developing new projects to enable us to utilise the entire building.

“This will increase our income generation and help us become more self-sustainable and less reliant upon grants which is essential in today’s climate.”

The Scrapstore has been in Swindon since 1985 – it is a charity and social enterprise providing low cost friendly resources for recreation, education and leisure time activities.

It collects clean, safe, reusable and redundant waste from local businesses which they make available at low cost to families, schools, community groups and the general public.

The Scrapstore diverts more than 60 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.

The Scrapstore relies heavily on volunteers, without them it would not be able to provide the service – drivers to collect materials, sorters and administration staff. It is another example of Big Society already at work in Swindon.

“I think the Big Society is a good thing,” said Olivia.

“But it is wrong that there are so many charities currently doing great work which are having their funding cut.

“These organisations have invested time and money developing their services and they are not receiving any support from the Government.”

As for the team of volunteers who came in to paint parts of the building, Olivia would definitely have them back. She said: “All the volunteers were really lovely and we are extremely grateful for the time they have given us to help get the new premises decorated.

“I would definitely have any of the volunteers back – anytime!”

l Swindon Scrapstore opens Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10am to 4pm, plus the first and third Saturday of each month.

It is at Unit 5, Bridgemead Business Centre, Bridgemead Close, Westmead.

Call 01793 513982 or visit www.scrapstore.co.uk.