For many people starting over, the first hurdle is often the simplest: having a bed to sleep on or furnishings that make a house feel like home. A Wiltshire initiative is working hard to fill that gap — and a local housebuilder has stepped in with support.
Bellway has donated beds, mattresses and bedding from the showhome at its Redlands Grove development in Swindon to Reesycle, a Great Somerford-based organisation set up by businessman Mike Rees. The charity-style venture provides good-quality, second-hand furniture to vulnerable people across the region, either at very low cost or entirely free.
Reesycle grew naturally out of Mike’s specialist cleaning company, Forensiclean, which works with local authorities and social services to restore unsafe or heavily cluttered homes. He noticed that after a deep clean, many residents were left with almost nothing — sometimes through necessity, sometimes for safeguarding reasons — and often had no means to replace essential items.
What began as a practical response has since grown into a lifeline for people rebuilding their lives. Reesycle now supports individuals across Wiltshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Bristol, including those moving into new accommodation after homelessness, domestic abuse or sudden crisis.
“This donation is really going to help someone,” Mike says. “We’re very careful about what we pass on — people deserve decent, clean furniture, not old cast-offs. Donations like Bellway’s make a huge difference because the quality is there.”
This marks the second time Bellway has donated showhome furniture to Reesycle from its Redlands Grove site, where 178 new homes are currently under construction. For the developers, the decision is rooted in a simple belief: everyone deserves a safe, livable space.
“A comfortable home is a basic need,” says Christel Hawkins, Sales Manager for Bellway South West. “Reesycle are doing vital work supporting people at vulnerable points in their lives. We hope these beds play a small part in helping someone begin again.”
For Mike, the satisfaction comes not from the items themselves, but the impact they have.
“When someone has been overwhelmed by circumstances — mental health, addiction, loss — it’s easy for life to spiral,” he explains. “To walk into a home that was previously unlivable and leave it as somewhere you’d be proud to stay… that gives people back a sense of dignity and direction. It’s a fresh start, and that’s priceless.”
