Miranda Jessop visits the Work & Play Scrapstore, an Aladdin’s cave of lost treasures reclaimed for art...
Visitors to Hazelhurst Estate might be surprised to see a little pocket of colour in the shadow of one of the grey tower blocks. For here, on the ground floor, is where you’ll find Work and Play Scrapstore and you can’t help but notice the striking mural on the wall outside and the sunny flowers painted on the concrete pillars. There’s also a giant mosaic by the entrance, with the name of the estate skilfully crafted from a medley of up cycled bottle tops, tiles, beads, fragments of mirror, keys and bike chains. This mosaic, as I am about to discover, is the very heart of this charitable organisation which promotes artful reuse through the sharing of reclaimable or lost resources for environmental and community benefit.
Inside Work and Play Scrapstore, it’s a hive of activity as an army of cheerful volunteers sort through donations, adding to the endless shelves of colour co-ordinated reusable materials. As general manager, Sascha Taylor leads me through the maze of aisles, everything has its place from paints, paper, baubles and bubblewrap to corks, carpet samples, fabrics, wallpapers and wood. There’s also plenty of objects you may not expect to see such as a mannequin wearing a bright pink wig and a dozen rugby balls.
“These have come from shop windows,” explains Sascha. “Several department stores in Oxford Street donate their ex-display items to us so we never know what we’re going to get next. In the past we’ve had a gigantic green shiny wolf, a telephone box, a surf board and even a boat.”
Department stores are just one example of a growing number of businesses who regularly donate their surplus items to Scrapstore.
“Any companies that don’t want to send their waste to incineration or landfill, can get in touch with us and, as long as it’s clean and reusable, we are happy to take it.”
“We were once given six bags of black dust – perfect for creating an apocalypse scene!”
So who exactly is making use of the rescued treasures in this unexpected Aladdin’s cave? Sascha tells me that they have a wide variety of members including nurseries, schools, home educators, therapists and community groups as well as students specialising in art, textiles, design, stage and costume.
“We particularly love working with our local community groups from brownie packs to refugee groups and women’s refuges. The hospital also regularly use our materials for crafting projects with patients on the wards. If people want to be creative and green, then this is the place for them.”
Work and Play Scrapstore currently has 430 members and member groups who pay an annual fee, enabling them to come as often as they want and take as much as they like.
“In the last four years, we have doubled our membership. People love coming in as they never know what they are going to find. Once we took delivery of six huge bags of black dust and we weren’t sure what they could be used for but it turned out to be exactly what a student needed to create an apocalypse scene!
“There is no limit as to how much members can take; all we ask is that, as they leave, they let us know what they have taken and how much they think it would have cost if they had paid for it. Last year’s figures indicated that the estimated value of materials was three times the membership fee.”
The Work and Play Scrapstore was originally set up in 1987 by some youth workers who couldn’t afford to buy sufficient materials for their projects.
“They came up with the idea of using leftover materials for arts, crafts and creative play and it spiralled from there.” Although the Scrapstore has relocated five times in thirty years, it has always been based in Wandsworth and took up residence in this disused former youth club on the Hazelhurst Estate four years ago.
“As well as having several leaks, the building has no heating and no natural light but the beauty is that we are able to make good use of a premises that is not fit for any other purpose.”
With just three part-time members of staff, the Scrapstore is reliant on its team of willing volunteers and Sascha is always keen to welcome more, even on a one-off basis. It currently has thirty regular volunteers, two of whom have been with the charity since the very beginning.
As well as sorting and organising all the donations, the volunteers run workshops for children, young people, charities and teachers to inspire creativity. The walls are adorned with unusual ideas for creative projects and volunteers are always happy to advise and assist members.
“Someone might come in wanting to make daffodils, for example, and we’ll always manage to find some weird and wonderful materials for them to use.”
With the Scrapstore now located on the Hazelhurst Estate, Sascha recognises the importance of reaching out to the local community. As well as organising a teddy bear’s picnic and involving local children in the art projects outside the Scrapstore, there is a one-off event on the estate as part of Wandsworth Arts Fringe. “This year’s Hazelfest will take place on May 19 and there’ll be lots of free arts and craft opportunities for residents as well as performances from local groups. Last year over 400 people came along which was just amazing.”
Sascha, who has been running the Work and Play Scrapstore for the past three years, has a clear message for any businesses who find themselves with surplus materials:
“Don’t throw anything away; if it is clean and reusable, please give it to us. Last year we saved 38 tonnes of waste from going to the landfill or the incinerator. We can guarantee that it will be put to use by lovely people.”
Work and Play Scrapstore, Hazelhurst Estate, 13 Blackshaw Road, London SW17 ODA. Opening hours: Tuesdays 11.30am-8pm and Thursdays 11am-5pm. workandplayscrapstore.org.uk