AN organisation that refurbished and redistributes unwanted care equipment has taken a step towards its target of helping 10,000 people by 2028.
Grace Cares has announced a new partnership with recycling charity the Star Foundation.
The partnership will see refurbished items from the Lichfield social enterprise stocked at a Star Foundation store in Burton.
Having already helped more than 5,000 people since it was founded in February 2023, Grace Cares is targeting 10,000 people by the end of 2028, with a long-term ambition of reaching one million people through "social franchising".
Emma Smith, co-founder of Grace Cares, said:
"We set out to reach one million people – and partnerships like this one are exactly how we get there.
"We cannot open a unit in every town, but we can work with brilliant organisations who are already trusted in their own communities.
"Star Foundation has that trust in Burton, and they understand the circular economy because they have been living it for years.
"Reaching 10,000 people by 2028 is not an abstract number to us. It is 10,000 individual moments where someone got the equipment they needed instead of going without, and Burton is now part of that."
Pete Tryner, Founder of the Star Foundation, said:
"Everything we do starts with the same belief, that something unwanted in one household can change things completely for someone else.
"We have spent years proving that with clothes, shoes and books for young people. Bringing Grace Cares equipment into our Burton store extends that thinking across the generations.
"Now a family in Burton can walk in and find the wheelchair, walking frame or bath aid they need at a price they can actually manage, and know that what they have spent goes straight back into community programmes.
"It is the right partnership at the right time and we are proud to be part of it."
Organisations, care providers and individuals with unwanted care equipment can arrange a donation via hello@grace-cares.com or 01543 730189.
