Chippenham charity Waste Not, Want Not has signed a 15-year lease on its Hungerdown Lane premises.

The charity, founded in December 2002 and based in Hungerdown Lane, collects unwanted furniture to sell to those on low incomes.

Project manager Phil Reade said he is delighted to confirm that the charity has signed the long-term agreement to stay put.

“Overall, since we opened it has all gone extremely well, although for some reason in the last six weeks our sales have been down,” he said.

“Possibly it’s due to economic circumstances, but we hope it picks up again soon. We do advertise our services in places like the library and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, and housing associations give out our leaflets, but a lot of it is word of mouth too. We only take customers who are in low-income households and on benefits, so we are not open to the general public.”

The charity was last year given a second grant from the Big Lottery Fund, making a total of £43,794 received over five years, which subsidises the furniture.

Mr Reade said there is no competition from two charity furniture shop giants that have recently set up in Chippenham, the British Heart Foundation and the Dorothy House Hospice.

“It’s just two different types of shop,” he said.

“For good reasons, of course, the charity shops want to make as much money as possible, whereas we want to sell our furniture at as low a price as we can. I’ve heard the statistic that around one in six families in North Wiltshire live on an income of less than £10,000 a year. But everyone should be able to have pride in their homes.”

Mr Reade said there is always a need for more furniture and more customers.

“I’d like to thank the people who have donated so generously, particularly as the furniture that comes to us is generally in very good condition,” he said.

For more information on Waste Not, Want Not, visit www.waste-not-want-not.org.uk or call (01249) 447140.