Not only an intriguing name, but The Blue Door Inc seemed to know that sustainability was a hot topic long before the rest of us did.  Over the last ten years The Blue Door and its volunteers and staff have been doing all they can to limit waste going into landfill while at the same time raising money for worthy causes.

 

Blenheim-based The Blue Door receives donated items from the Marlborough community and resells them at its shop, which is run by volunteers and some permanent staff. The Blue Door is a recognised outlet for selling furniture and household goods at reasonable prices, with profits given to charity. With 13 volunteers and 6 staff working at The Blue Door the organisation has now been able to extend its opening hours and are open every day except Sundays and public holidays.

 

Pam Woodward, Chairperson of The Blue Door, says that The Blue Door is a household name in the Marlborough community and that most people know of their services and use them.

 

“A lot of unwanted furniture and household items have now gone to new homes that otherwise would have gone to the landfill.  Our turnover of goods has increased and we now have more staff,” says Pam Woodward.

The main aim of The Blue Door is to encourage people to think of recycling first and dumping last, and to inspire people to think, “Do I really need this?” before they buy.

 

The Blue Door won the Supreme Award at the 2004 TrustPower Marlborough Community Awards with its message of “Reuse and Recycle”. The judges were impressed with the group’s innovative way of combining a recycling initiative combined with providing community support to such a wide variety of people. 

Today The Blue Door continues to support those in need in the community, giving donated household goods to needy people who have been hit with some misfortune

Noralyn Berwick from the Bread of Life Centre in Marlborough says The Blue Door helped out a mother and her two children who had no furniture or household goods. This mother was absolutely overwhelmed with what she received.

“It is so encouraging when services are able to work together for the good of those they work with by linking into other community groups,” says Noralyn Berwick.

Any money that The Blue Door raises through selling donated items is given back to a variety of different charities in the community.  Some of these charities include the Nativity Youth Trust Programme, Marlborough Community Foodbank and Drug Arm.

The Blue Door is able to sell 90% of the donated goods its receives at very low prices to help people with low incomes. 

 

“Migrant workers come to us to buy items that they need for the short term then sometimes re-donate their goods to us.  Contractors also buy from us to set up accommodation for their migrant workers,” says Pam.

 

Winning the Supreme Award at the 2004 TrustPower Marlborough Community Awards provided The Blue Door with publicity which raised community awareness of the group’s existence and of its recycling message.

 

“Soon after the winning the Award we held a strategic planning day to focus on the forward vision for our organisation.  The Blue Door is so well known now that people are attracted to us and like to call in and have a chat.  When we advertise for new staff there is definitely a lot more interest,” says Pam.

 

The staff and volunteers at The Blue Door now have specially printed shirts to wear in the summer and also vests for the winter. This was a great initiative thought up by the staff as people often had difficulty identifying who worked in the shop. 

 

The great atmosphere at The Blue Door is attributed entirely to the staff and volunteers who work so hard to keep The Blue Door running.

 

“They are fantastic and this great facility could not continue without them,” says Pam.

 

Pam also praises the Marlborough community with helping The Blue Door become such a success.

 

“The community continues to donate household furniture and items they no longer need.  The public who support The Blue Door and what it is trying to achieve are just wonderful,” says Pam.

 

The Blue Door’s former CEO Beverley Kingston was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for her services to recycling at Queen's Birthday 2007.  Beverley has given nine years of voluntary work towards the recycling of household goods and the provision of low cost furniture to those who have a need. 

 

“This is only a part of the work Bev does in the Marlborough community so the Queens Service Medal is a very fitting tribute in acknowledging what an incredible person she is,” says Pam.

 

Beverley resigned as CEO from The Blue Door in February 2007 and continues to work on more recycling ideas and put them into practice.

 

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  The Blue Door lives out this philosophy and through it is helping Marlborough’s environment, those in the community requiring held while injecting money back into the community, all at the same time.

 

For more information about the Blue Door Inc Please contact Pam Woodward C/- Box 478, Blenheim 7240.