Leeds Wood Recycling CIC

We are a social enterprise that is passionate about the environment, recycling, social change and investing in the people of our community. We work to divert wood from landfill, collecting timber from commercial and domestic businesses and construction sites. The collected wood waste is used to offer opportunities; teaching people how to manufacture products, gifts, furniture and garden/ exterior products to sell in the shop or as private commissions. We also run a reclaimed timber shop open to the public, selling our rescued timber at affordable prices.

Leeds Wood recycling is a not-for-profit CIC working to give free volunteer and training opportunities to marginalised people in West Yorkshire, mainly focusing on Leeds. We give people practical experience to grow their skills and gain employment, or simply expand their social network and be a part of something positive for our community.

Our organisation started in October 2018, with Leeds Community Foundation supporting us since our inception by funding free woodwork classes for our local community, with particular focus on people who are long term unemployed and those struggling with isolation and loneliness. In our day to day work with volunteers we take referrals citywide from mental health services, social prescribing, Occupational Therapists, refuges and those working in recovery and probation, to name a few. We are proud of the many links we have made with local organisations who know they can count on the support they feel their clients need and deserve. A proportion of the collected wood will be good enough to be reused, so it can be sold back to the community for DIY/building projects.

We run a range of courses to empower and inspire people to learn woodwork and reuse and recycle!