Ahhhh!
Wow!
So as a support worker for homeless young people I get to do a lot of things that technically are "work" but which I can honestly say would be something I would do wether I was paid or not!!
One of my recent tasks was to find affordable art supplies for a project our young people want to do. As I hunted on the Internet for the best deals I ran across something called "Bright Ideas". It's seemed to good to be true. A warehouse filled with any number of random left overs donated by businesses or individuals that find themselves with a lot of left overs that they just can't bare to throw away. The epitome of "one man's trash is another man's treasure".
My manager (who happens to be the best manager ever) said she knew about the place from back in the day when she was a journalist and wrote a story on it opening up and she would drive us down there to see what we could find.
OH
MY
GOODNESS!!!
When we walked in there was so much goodness and loveliness everywhere I didn't know where to start. From glitter in little tubs, to left over cut off of paper, to shavings of coloured plastic, to buttons, to left over paint, to crazy Christmas decorations, to bags of magnetic tape from inside videos all ripped out and put into separate SELLABLE bags! It just didn't stop!
And it wouldn't be a scrap scheme in Essex if they didn't have an abundance of mascara!!!
Not only is this place a great place to let your creative juices flow, but it's also a way to give back and make this world a better place. Waste is something that always annoys me and I also love the creativeness of recycling. Loads of people think recycling is this really boring, out of the way rubbish job. But Colchester Scrap Scheme reminded me how awesome it is to not just throw something away because its original purpose passed, but to try and revisit its use with a different angle or purpose and to HAVE FUN!!!
So if you find yourself in need of cheap craft supplies or are just curious about this treasure trove in Colchester then get yourself to the Hythe in Colchester Monday, Friday or Saturday 10am to 1pm and get shopping.
By the by, my manager and I stuffed two shopping baskets full and only spent £12 so yo! Being creative, giving back and recycling is affordable and ANYONE can do it. So DO IT!
P.S. I see this place as being a common prayer room supply top up shop!
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