We look back at the highlights from a busy year at the Cone Exchange in 2023.
Our best year ever for fundraising
The Cone Exchange scrap store is open three days a week, selling a wide range of items for crafters, gardeners and bakers.
Over the course of the year, thanks in large to shop sales, the Cone Exchange team donated over £50,000 to good causes in our local area, including Horticap, Inspire Youth, Open Country, Dementia Forward and Wellspring Counselling.
Promoting recycling
In 2023, the Cone Exchange team attended a wider range of events and talks, to promote recycling and encourage people to think about waste in new ways. In all, we attended 22 community talks and events, including educational events for school children via the Yorkshire Agricultural Society such as the Great Yorkshire Show and Countryside Days.
Supported work placements
The Cone Exchange provides supported work placements for adults with additional learning needs. Typically, our placement students spend one day a week at the Cone Exchange, helping with a variety of tasks which build confidence, communication and self-esteem. In some cases, placements are a step towards paid work.
2023 was the start of the return of our placements following covid, with 4 adults with additional learning needs experiencing a placement at the Cone Exchange, with 75 hours of placements hosted in total. The placements are co-ordinated with partners including Henshaws and Time Together.
Our fabulous volunteers
The Cone Exchange also brings together a team of volunteers who give their time, ideas and connections to help protect the planet and raise funds for local good causes – while making friends and being creative. In 2023, we welcomed 14 new volunteers to the team, taking our total number of volunteer supporters to 38. In total, we benefited from over 7,000 hours of volunteer time and we deeply appreciate the support and commitment demonstrated by all our volunteers.
Wooly great work
In 2023 Cone Exchange volunteers and supporters knitted over 3,000 items to support local charities. Examples include baby clothes for Peace of Mind in Gateshead, a charity providing vital services for refuges, and blankets for Age UK’s warm spaces.
