Waste wood from Aylesbury Vale housing developments to be transformed into furniture

Reclaimed wood is turned into furniture at the RAW workshop

A developer has partnered with a social enterprise in a project to reduce waste and provide employment, skills and training for local people

A new partnership will see waste wood from a local housebuilder’s sites transformed into furniture and other items by a social enterprise.

Waste wood from all Deanfield Homes developments will be collected by social enterprise RAW’s site recycling service and taken to its Oxford workshop, where it will be made into items such as benches, planters and bird boxes which will be donated to local schools, community groups and Deanfield’s own homeowners.

RAW’s waste wood recycling service helps businesses to create social and environment impact, and provides employment, skills and training for people, 75 of whom have had issues such as addiction, criminality, poor mental health and homelessness.

Deanfield Homes marketing manager Annette Gaskell with the RAW team

The income from product sales also supports RAW’s specialist youth team, working with 12 to 18-year-olds across Oxfordshire.

Deanfield Homes has developments at Deanfield View in Marsh Gibbon and Deanfield Park in Ickford, near Thame, with new developments at Bledlow and Little Kimble coming soon.

Founder and managing director Peter Blades said: “We’re delighted to be formalising our partnership with RAW. Not only are we committing to using its recycling services on all current and future Deanfield sites, but we will also support a circular economy by turning our waste wood into sustainable products.

"As a growing business, we are focused on both our environmental impact and the positive contribution we can make to the local communities that we create and in which we build. This project with RAW ticks both of those boxes.”

Rick Mower, managing director of RAW, said: “We empower our clients and customers to confidently make procurement and purchasing choices that drive quantitative social and environmental value, without compromising on price or quality.

"Consumers and markets are more ready than ever for organisations who can truly demonstrate that they drive real social value through their brands and services.

"The leadership and vision from the team at Deanfield Homes has been brilliant in bringing this partnership together. We're massively looking forward to working with them and making our partnership a UK exemplar of what can be achieved when organisations unite to create change.”