Tel. No: 01277 222050
Opening Hours:
Mon 9.30-4.30pm
Tues-Fri 9.00-4.30pm Saturday 9.00-4.00pm Sunday Closed
NEW SATURDAY OPENING TIME! 9.00-4.00pm
What we do!
Each year Lighthouse Furniture help over 5,000 households and divert more than 350 tonnes from landfill.
We support anyone who requires second-hand furniture and appliances and also have additional support from families requiring additional discount. Those in need by providing items for those that have no way of affording it otherwise. Our team collect furniture donated to us in Brentwood as well as many of the surrounding towns. We work in partnership with the council and over 70 agencies to support the community. We sell furniture from our warehouse to EVERYONE and can even deliver direct for a small fee.
How we started!
In 1994, a group of people at, what was then called King's Church, had a thought! They went to the council seeking to serve the community and were invited to take on the council’s initiative to pass reusable furniture to those in need. With some garages and a trailer, they started distributing furniture at weekends. Soon the Lighthouse began, and it grew.
20 years on and we still meet people who have never heard of Lighthouse or think that only those on benefits can access the low-cost furniture. Whilst we aim to support those on low incomes, in poverty or in housing crisis, ANYONE can buy the furniture and appliances we have available.
Furniture everyone can afford
We operate a two-tier pricing system on many items, especially for those on certain Means Tested Benefits. We discount the items according to how essential they are (i.e., beds get a bigger discount than display cabinets) for those on benefits.
The sale of goods is used to cover our operating costs enabling us to be self-sufficient, allowing us to focus on helping those struggling to help themselves, to provide training, helping us to expand and work with other charities to start new projects.
We sell a large number of furniture items from chests-of-drawers, wardrobes and beds to dining tables, lounge suites and more. We also have small electricals and white goods, such as fridge-freezers, washing machines and cookers. All electrical items are tested and come with a guarantee from our engineers, with over 100 years of experience between them.
We sell both second-hand and new items, and our stock is changing every day so why not come in and see us?
Helping other charities start their own projects
In January 2012 Hopeworx based in Rayleigh, asked us to help them start a reuse project. After a very busy six months we opened in June and successfully grew providing for families in the Castlepoint and Rochford Districts. In 2014 they became an independent charity and continue to thrive today.
Another group asked us to help start a reuse project in Epping, and so Epping Forest ReUSE was born. They became an independent charity in 2017. Unfortunately Epping Forest ReUSE closed its doors in March 2022.
TCL was the third reuse centre based in Ilford who are now running independently. Will there be another? Watch this space!
Who we work with
Lighthouse wants to help as many households as possible and works across Essex to do this. We work with a range of different organisations to achieve this, from councils, community groups, churches, and other charities.
Having started in Brentwood we work have worked in partnership with Brentwood Council and other to ensure local residents can access affordable furniture. As well as providing the Large Electrical Bulky Waste service for the district, we work with the housing team to help the most vulnerable in our community.
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We also work with...
Job Centre Plus to provide volunteering opportunities.
Who provide us with emergency food bags that our staff can give out when we see the need.
Run by Dodd Road Church, we link with them when they identify households in need of support.
We also work with Basildon Council with both their Housing and Environmental Teams, supporting those in housing crisis, providing reused appliances for recently developed Homeless Accommodation and collecting and reusing small electrical appliances in partnership with Barleylands Recycle Centre.
We have worked with Essex County Council (ECC) to promote Reuse and the Circular Economy and asked to be part of ECC’s bid for European Funding to promote this. The Application in 2020 was successful and ‘Blueprint for a Circular Economy’ involving different Social Enterprises and Universities (including Anglia Ruskin University) across the UK and France.
We are currently working with ECC’s Waste teams at the local Recycle Centre for Household Waste (RCHW) across Essex to Resue Large Electrical Appliances through Donation points at the sites. This allows us to use items donated by residents to then provide low-cost affordable washing machines, refrigeration and other large electrical devices to those unable to afford the cost of purchasing a new one.
Lighthouse Furniture Ltd are recognised by Trading Standards and are part of the Buy with Confidence scheme.
Who supports us
Over the last 5 years we have been eternally grateful for the support we receive.
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If it wasn’t for residents across the communities we serve in South and Mid Essex, we would not have the items to refurbish diverting them from landfill and providing us with its we can pass on a low-cost or no-cost.
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Grant Funding organisations
Since 2020 and the Covid Pandemic our reliance on grants to continue what we do has been much higher. We are hugely grateful to the grant giving bodies who have given to us over the last five years and recognise that while we still need them, we need to develop longer term solutions to remain sustainable.
We are also hugely grateful to Essex Community Foundation(ECF) who recognise the support and impact we make and have helped find funding.
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Here is a list of the Charity bodies that have supported or are supporting us at present (in alphabetical order).
Impact over the last year:
7,842
households assisted, saving them an estimated...
£1,061,890
by purchasing reused goods instead of new
301,588kg
COâ‚‚ saving (by purchasing reused items one can help towards saving CO2 to save our planet)
21,009
items were diverted from landfill (321,078kgs)
