Empty Wisbech supermarket becomes home to a community recycling organisation

An empty town centre store has opened its doors for the first time in three years thanks to a community recycling organisation.

The former Budgens in the Horsefair shopping centre in Wisbech began its new life as a retail outlet for the Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network (CCORN) last week and is now known as Wisbech Works.

CCORRN said the move will allow residents to “access our products more easily”.

Visitors to the store will find a host of ‘rescued resources’ including home decor and DIY supplies as well as furniture, and arts and crafts including the ‘Boxes of Rainbows’ available free of charge to children, thanks to a raftof sponsors for the initiative launched at the start of lockdown.

Posting on their Facebook page a CCORN spokesman explained they had been working hard behind the scenes to get the store ready for opening last Monday (17).

The post continued: “Some of you may already know our recycled paint which is made in March is stocked in shops across the UK however as we don’t have stockists nearby we’ve decided to listen to our customers and open this shop in Wisbech.

“There are so many more exciting reuse, recycling and repurposing things we’d also like to do.

This new shop in Wisbech will hopefully ensure Wisbech residents can access our products and services more easily as well as making it easier to manage social distancing.

“Members of the factory shop and scrapstore based in March, rest assured that will remain; it is not going anywhere.

“The Wisbech shop is going to be a purely retail shop which will not require membership however prices will be at our retail prices.

“Existing members of the March Centre will be able to purchase from the Wisbech shop at a discounted rate on certain product lines. We will also be stocking furniture items and our work wear ranges too.”

CCORN was launched in 2011 and makes use of unwanted paint that people have sitting around in sheds and garages by remixing and reselling it at reduced prices.