Press Release received from Greenstream Flooring

The community of Vernon Place, near Neath has been given an extra boost by Greenstream Flooring CIC who have donated three hundred metres of new flocked flooring for their new Community Hub, located in the old Llansawel Primary School.

The recently formed Vernon Place Community Hub is run entirely by community volunteers and supports local residents with a vast array of support and activities, aimed at all ages. Activities include craft and movement classes and a food bank, as well as a little shop. Even though COVID-19 affected the activities held at the hub, the volunteers kept the vital food bank open by supporting around 170 households per week during the lockdown with food parcels.

“Just by having any carpets that are not stuck together with tape and falling apart will make a huge difference to all of us here at the hub,” said Tracey Johns, local resident and volunteer hub co-ordinator.  “With a decent floor at last, we’ll really be able start to open up the building to more local people” she added.

Greenstream Flooring CIC is a social enterprise based in Porth, which not only helps to reduce the carbon footprint by reusing otherwise unwanted carpet tiles, preventing them from going to landfill or other methods of disposal that damage the environment; but also provides local employment and much needed flooring to those in areas of high social deprivation. Greenstream is an original and long-term supporting re-use member of Carpet Recycling UK.  CRUK’s members are from businesses and organisations from every stage of the carpet supply chain, with a mission to promote the diversion from landfill of textile flooring in the UK to resource for sustainable use.

Greenstream was supported with this donation from flooring manufacturer Forbo Flooring Systems. The new flooring is from Forbo’s Flotex range, which offers the appearance, comfort, and acoustics of a textile flooring, but with the cleaning properties of a resilient flooring. It is the perfect solution for high traffic areas such as this new community hub.

Ellen Petts, founder and managing director of Greenstream Flooring CIC, comments: “When I set up the business over 10 years ago, part of my vision was to enable local communities and residents to benefit from carpet tiles that are no longer required. This is a great example of removing the need to send tiles to landfill whilst at the same time helping the local community.  I am delighted that by collaborating with Forbo Flooring Systems we can help the community at Vernon Place by supplying the carpet tiles for them free of charge.”

Janet Lowe, Head of Marketing UK & Ireland at Forbo Flooring Systems, commented: “At Forbo, we are always looking for opportunities where we can support local communities – especially since the emergence of COVID-19, where the sense of community has never been more important. Therefore, we were delighted to be able to support Greenstream Flooring CIC with the donation of our Flotex flooring. We really hope it transforms the look of the building’s interior and that the residents of Vernon Place enjoy their new hub.”

For information about Greenstream please visit www.findcarpettiles.co.uk

DELIVERING THE TILES TO VERNON PLACE COMMUNITY HUB

From left to right:

Tracey Johns, Melanie Meret and Rachel Best, all from the Vernon Place Hub Community Hub and Ellen Petts, founder and MD of Greenstream Flooring

 Fitters Greg Curtis and Carl Mason from Greenstream can be seen in the background

About Greenstream Flooring CIC

Greenstream Flooring CIC is a social enterprise and was established in 2008 in response to the number of carpet tiles being wasted and sent to landfill.  We recognized that there is life left in these carpet tiles and as well as the carbon saved, we can provide flooring at low cost to those in need.

Our mission is to maximise the community benefit from the sales and reuse of flooring in the UK. We also maximise the potential of staff and volunteers to that they can positively contribute to their local communities. Consequently, we can then provide low-cost flooring to households on a low income, providing them with the warmth and comfort that flooring provides.

We work with several companies to take-back carpet tiles that are no longer required and ensure they are reused and recycled; and actively work with organisations who share our vision to create a circular economy.

Greenstream Flooring CIC are multi-award winners winning Wales Social Enterprise of the Year, CIH Cymru Innovation of the Year, IWA Environmentalist Award and latterly the Outstanding Social Enterprise category in the Wales Sustainability Academy Awards in 2019.

For more information visit www.findcarpettiles.co.uk 

Further information:

Greenstream Flooring CIC contact: Karen Howell karen@gsflooring.org.uk / 07966 192597