a gardening service arm to their charity – something which reflected his own interests and skills. That service became popular enough to attract regular customers, support itself and now even have a small staff team of its own. “He came up to Matthew and said ‘I have wanted to say this to you for a long time. You have changed my life’,” said Mrs Jones, 40, now deputy manager at the project. She has a way of telling the story that brings lump to your throat. Forest Upcycling started innocently enough, with a career-teacher and family man, Mr Jones, who wanted a change – and who wanted to try to make the world a better place in his own small way. “He had a reasonably well-paid job he loved, but he had become quite senior and felt he was having less and less of an impact,” said Mrs Jones, who continued working as a teacher herself to support her husband (and four children) as he set forth on a new venture. What he thought might work and help just a few people became a divining rod, which led him towards a need among many, many people – old and young - for the most basic of provisions like beds, fridges, cookers, tables and chairs. “There was a similar charity set up near where we had lived near Newbury and he thought that might work here,” recalled Mrs Jones. It did - and grew so fast that bringing the funds in to keep up became a challenge. Eventually Nadine became part of the charity as well. “We have had a few grants from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Fund and they have all made a massive difference.
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people in Chalford - and we've been doing that for three years now," she said. "We have always been community-led. It has not been about me going along to see who wanted to do a lunch club. It is about people in the community coming to see us and saying they would like one. "They get a three-course lunch, coffee and chocolate all for five pounds," she said, recalling the innocent beginnings. Hard work it might be, but she clearly loves it. "I get a lot out of it too," she admits, joking that one of the big thrills is getting compliments for her food, that perhaps are not to be had elsewhere. "My husband has always been indifferent to my cooking, but here I get plenty of compliments." An invaluable relationship exists with Waitrose in Stroud, which she cannot praise enough for its generously supplying the charity with food, some of which it re-distributes to other needy charities in the Five Valleys. Upcycling is helping people turn their lives around Nadine Jones tells a moving story about how her husband was taken unaware by a member of staff at a Christmas party. It is a tale which speaks volumes for the charity they run – Forest Upcycling Project – which collects, sells and even gives away second-hand furniture, creating employment and training opportunities in the process. Once among the long-term unemployed, the staff member in question had some time before he inspired Matthew Jones, 48, and his wife to open up
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