A UNIQUE furniture re-cycling project providing affordable quality furniture will be officially launched on Tuesday, July 4.

Future St Helens Limited is the result of a pioneering partnership between Pathways, local businesses and Grosvenor Housing, with support from St Helens Council.

Operating from a shop in St Helens town centre the company takes in unwanted furniture items, some like new, donated by local furniture shops.

A team of nine skilled craftsmen and women then restore the items at two workshop sites, one attached to the town-centre premises and the other at Bold Business Centre.

Business manager at Future, Tony Haydock said: "Furniture comes in from a number of sources via the council's collection service, local traders, other warehouses and via public donation. Although in its early stages the signs are very encouraging and local traders in particular like Williams and George Street Suites have been very helpful. We offer affordable, quality products for the whole community."

Some of the items already donated are of a very high quality. Added Tony: "One of our staff is very genned up on antiques. What we don't want are traders who buy from us on the cheap and sell on at a huge gain to themselves."

The three-year project is funded by the National Lottery, European Regional Development Fund and Single Regeneration Budget.

Tony, who has an established career in the retail industry, hopes to expand the scheme into children's items such as prams and cots and says his vision by the end of the three years is a thriving business employing 30 people and offering training opportunities for others.