Blythswood visited Uist again recently to pick up the textiles which have been collected during the past few months from the Uist based textile banks held by Cothrom and Share, and donations to UCVO.

Thank you to all who have donated to our textile banks over the past few months, the van was full leaving Uist. A big thanks to all the volunteers who undertake the collections in the ReStore van throughout the year and to the team for assisting with the transfer to the Blythswood lorry.

Just a wee reminder that it really helps if clothes are sealed in bags and the bags are not overfilled, this reduces the chances of them getting wet and increases the chances of items being usable at their end destination.
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ReStore welcome textiles suitable for use in upholstery and up cycling directly at the shop, so good condition, clean items such as curtains, cushions and heavy fabrics such as cord, tweed. These can be delivered to the shop or in bags clearly marked on the outside as for ReStore in the textile banks.

Get in touch on 01878 700910 or come in to see us in the shop if you'd like something for your own garden. We can also organise for delivery at a small additional charge.

We now have available garden benches and tables in a variety of sizes. Please see below for more information, or get in touch on 01878 700910 to learn more. Custom sizes and stains also available.

Our new van has had it's stickers put on and is looking great. It's sporting the new ReStore logo and has been updated with our social media handles, which is a great way of checking what furniture we have in store. 
The van has been in duty for several weeks already, but now it will be much easier to recognise when it's on the road making collections and deliveries.  
Yesterday we took it to our open day at Falachan Cothrom. Not only did it help us get much of the equipment we needed down there, but it also looked great in the sunshine. 

Over the summer period ReStore will be open on Saturdays. We hope this will allow those who can't make it in during our usual open hours a chance to browse our stock. Welcome!

The ReStore van is a common sight all across the islands from Berneray to Eriskay, and has been a vital tool in our quest to contribute to a more circular economy within the Outer Hebrides.
Cothrom recently took delivery of a new van to keep the process of collections and deliveries of donated, up cycled, restored, and repaired furniture.  This larger vehicle will allow us to collect and deliver even more furniture, and the upgrade will make the trips easier on our volunteers who drive and man the van. ​

The new vehicle purchase was funded by the SnBM Community Fund and Big Lottery Fund as part of the wider ReStore new build project.  We are most grateful to be able to continue our mission to reduce the amount of unnecessary waste, all while providing fantastic training opportunities to our local community. 
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Kirsty MacCormick, Manager said.  “We are delighted with the new vehicle which will keep us on the road.  The new building has been open for almost a year now and with the increase visibility we have seen an increase in donations, deliveries, and in repair and return collections.  The old van has served ReStore brilliantly for a number of years but it’s now time to retire it gracefully.  The van currently goes out twice weekly and we are very grateful to our volunteers who work on the van.”

Cothrom ReStore was recently awarded Revolve certification. This has enabled us to implement better quality standards, an improved shopping experience, and new customer service skills.

You can read a longer feature about this in an article by the Stornoway Gazette, available here.

​We are proud to announce that Cothrom ReStore has recently been awarded the Committed to Excellence Award through EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management).
 
EFQM Committed to Excellence is an assessment and recognition scheme that helps organisations introduce an excellence initiative and deliver improved results. With this award we have demonstrated improved levels of organisational procedures, visual merchandising, and customer service.
 
We are always aiming to improve our services in any way we can and, with gaining this award, we are delighted to be able to show our customers and service users that we are committed to continual progression and development.

Last year Donnie and his film crew came to ReStore to partake in some upcycling projects. The episode aired last night on BBC Alba, but you can catch it here on BBC iPlayer for another month.