Community Repaint: A Helping Hand for Hearts and Minds in 2011

Published by Clair Lloyd for Community Repaint in Communities and also in Environment, Housing

Community RePaint: A Helping Hand for Hearts and Minds in 2011

Community RePaint, the UK-wide paint reuse network, helped to make Britain a healthier, happier place last year by supporting over 17,300 groups and individuals to transform their local environment with leftover, reusable paint.

In 2011, householders, traders and paint manufacturers donated 343,957 litres of paint to Community RePaint schemes, which then distributed 217,112 litres to community groups and individuals saving 565 tonnes of CO₂ – the equivalent of taking 192 cars off our roads - and providing 766 volunteer and training opportunities.

Working together with Heart Research UK, Community RePaint schemes helped to create three ‘healthy heart floors’ in NCP car parks, with brightly painted murals encouraging drivers parking on the sixth floor to take the stairs. The designs, which feature the charity’s mascot, Hartley Heart, were painted with the help of local young people and Community RePaint provided the paint – of course!

John Lloyd, Midlands Regional Executive of Heart Research UK, contacted Community RePaint and led the initiative. “We were delighted with the generous support we received from Community RePaint for our healthy heart floors, which help to highlight the importance of keeping your heart healthy in a fun, easy and educational way, as well as brightening up car parks.”

Community RePaint also brought a splash of colour to the lives of the tenants of Mulberry House in Blackpool. Mulberry House provides a safe and supportive environment for people overcoming alcohol and drug addiction, and was completely redecorated with paint from Community RePaint Wyre and Fylde. The result was a clean and comfortable home for the three tenants, one of whom had been a painter and decorator prior to his problems with addiction.

Founder and Manager of Mulberry House, Keith Stevenson, said: “Not only has the work given a freshness to the whole house and changed it from simply a place to stay to somewhere that feels like home, but it has also enabled one of our tenants to re-discover his skills and self-worth.”

The Community RePaint Network has been sponsored by Dulux since 1993 and complements their current campaign, Let’s Colour. David Cornish, Strategic Projects Manager, explained “Bringing colour to people’s lives is what Dulux is all about. If we can do so by helping people to use paint that would otherwise be wasted, then that's an extra bonus and we are very proud to support Community Repaint in their excellent work”.

 “The Community RePaint network now has over 65 schemes across the UK and with four new schemes about to start at the beginning of 2012, we are hopeful of even more leftover, reusable paint being available to brighten up peoples’ homes and communities,” said Community RePaint Network Manager Martin Pearse.

Do you need paint?

Last year, the team from Princes Trust in Newham received a whole rainbow of paint from Community RePaint to brighten local lives. Community RePaint is here to help those who could not otherwise afford to decorate or maintain their homes and local area. So, if your tenants need paint, visit www.commmunityrepaint.org.uk or call 0113 200 3959 for more information.