Wood@Aldingbourne celebrates 20 years of craftsmanship, opportunity and inclusion

Aldingbourne Trust, a charity in Chichester, West Sussex, that supports adults with learning disabilities and autism is celebrating 20 years of their Wood Recycling enterprise, which brings meaningful employment opportunities for adults supported by the Trust. Wood@Aldingbourne is part of Community Wood Recycling, a network of wood recycling social enterprises providing an efficient and cost-effective collection service for waste wood.
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Wood@Aldingbourne is located at Aldingbourne Country Centre, a visitor attraction featuring an Open Farm, Café and children’s play activities. As a Social Enterprise, Wood@Aldingbourne provides meaningful work, skills development and confidence-building for people with learning disabilities and autism. People supported by the Trust work alongside staff and volunteers in the workshop to create handcrafted products from reclaimed timber, which is then sold to customers. Anything the team are not able to use is not put into landfill, but either used in the biomass boiler to heat buildings, or made into chippings.

The milestone was celebrated by staff, volunteers, and Richard Mehmed, Managing Director of Community Wood Recycling. Volunteers and people supported by the Trust were given certificates of achievements and long service, providing an opportunity to reflect on the lasting impact Wood@Aldingbourne has had on both people's lives and the environment.

Michael, who is supported at Wood@Aldingbourne said ‘I love working here and helping people by collecting waste wood and making products from it. I have learnt so many skills and made lots of friends. I’m very proud to be part of the Wood@Aldingbourne Team.’

Wood@Aldingbourne was established in 2006 and, over the past 20 years, has rescued 5,300 tonnes of waste wood, saved 2,600 tonnes of CO2 and created 1,780 weeks of paid work.

Alex Brooks-Johnson, Chief Executive at Aldingbourne Trust says ‘Reaching 20 years is a remarkable milestone. What started as an opportunity to provide meaningful skills and employment has grown into a thriving social enterprise that changes lives every day. It has been a place where people have developed skills, built confidence, formed lasting friendships and discovered what they are capable of. We're excited to see Wood@Aldingbourne continue to grow for many years to come’.

As Wood@Aldingbourne looks ahead to the future, the team remains committed to creating opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and autism while giving new life to reclaimed timber. The 20-year milestone is not only a celebration of what has been achieved, but of the many lives and communities that will continue to benefit in the years ahead.