Start-up receives £5,000 grant to open Carlisle depot

A start-up has received a £5,000 grant to open a depot on Carlisle's Kingmoor Park (pictured) — Kingmoor Park

Local start-up The Rebuild Site CIC has received a Cumbria County Council Community grant of £5,000 towards costs to open their depot in Carlisle.

The project will redirect excess materials from building sites, preventing usable materials from going into skips and making them available to tradespeople and members of the public.

Materials will also be donated to charities and community groups for free, and the site hopes to provide green jobs and work placements in the future. We can all make better use of our resources whether it is reducing energy, repairing broken items or reusing existing materials.

By diverting surplus materials from recycling, biomass or landfill, the Rebuild Site aims to save at least 3,000kg of carbon being released into the atmosphere in its first year of operations – helping the construction industry on its journey to net-zero and operating as part of a circular economy.

The depot will open on January 29 at their site on Dukes Drive, Kingmoor Park, Carlisle, and will sell a range of materials suitable for building and DIY projects.

Councillor Cyril Weber said: “I am delighted that Carlisle Local Committee has granted £5,000 towards this important local community organisation. The work Rebuild CIC are doing in the city to change perceptions about the better use of materials, reclaimed materials and downcycling is helping to reduce the amount of items sent to landfill or waste services.

“Their efforts to make building materials more affordable and accessible to local people is also a great way to support the local economy, as well as our residents and communities. On behalf of the council, I wish the organisation all the best for their plans in 2022.”

Rebuild Site Director Emma Porter added: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to Cumbria County Council and are confident the Rebuild Site will contribute to the county’s net-zero targets whilst bringing about systematic change in the construction industry.”

Rebuild Site Director Maisie Hunt said: “The grant will go a long way to helping us realise our community purpose in ensuring perfectly usable materials can help our community organisations with their building and repair projects.

“We invite our local community groups and charities with building material to get in touch via the form on our website – we have already provided materials to arts groups, community gardens and primary schools, and are excited to hear from groups that we can work with to provide materials in 2022 and beyond.”