I would like to donate an item of furniture. What do I have to do?  Please call one of our warehouses in Lewes or Eastbourne (warehouse contact details). We will ask you about the items you have to donate and arrange a time to pick them up from you. Our drivers do two collection rounds daily, Monday to Friday, and in most cases we can arrange for collection at a time convenient for you.

How much notice must I give?  Often we will need a week to ten days' notice, although on occasion we are so busy that it may be a little longer. If you wish to donate furniture to us, please leave yourself and us as much time as you can.

What sort of things do you take?  We take dining suites, tables, chests of drawers, dressing tables, sofas and armchairs, beds with or without mattresses, wardrobes, coffee tables and all sorts of wooden furniture. We are also interested in bric-a-brac and other household effects. You may have other items you wish to donate; it's always worth asking us about them.

Are there any restrictions on what you will take?  There some items that we cannot take due to health and safety laws. For example:

• All upholstered furniture, including mattresses, must have 'fire tags' attached. On sofas and armchairs this will read - "complies with the furniture and furnishings (fire) (safety) regulations 1988" and/or "this item does not require a schedule 3 interliner".

   

• Any glass larger than 21cm x 30cm (the size of an A4 sheet of paper) must be toughened or laminated. This is usually indicated by a BS kite mark or reference number.

   

• Mattresses must have a blue framed label which refers to BS7177 sewn into the end wall.

We can now take some electrical items but not cookers or TVs. Please contact us to check on whether or not we can take an electrical item that you have.

What happens to furniture once it has been collected?  The furniture is brought to one of our warehouses where people (particularly people on low incomes) can come along and choose what they would like to have for a small fee. The cost of the item is a contribution towards expenses and delivery is free.

Some of the furniture is taken to our Training Centre in Lewes where students are learning to apply Decorative Painting Techniques (see our Training page). This furniture is then made available for sale to visitors to our warehouses.

Where does the money go?  Furniture Now! is a not-for-profit organisation. The money taken for furniture goes back into FN! to help us to continue to provide our valuable services to the community.