Furniture Workshop Volunteer

Emmaus South Manchester is an independent local homelessness charity, working to establish a new Emmaus community. Our aim is to support formerly homeless people and those suffering deprivation and social exclusion in the local area.

At Emmaus South Manchester we have a passion for repurposing, designing, creating and upcycling. We do this with donated textiles and furniture and we stop these from being thrown away. In our Furniture workshop we breathe new life into a variety of furniture items, we repurpose some of them into entire new products! We make clocks out of almost anything and we create wooden craft kits for folk to work on at home. 

We are looking for dedicated and skilled volunteers to help out, either from home or, in our textile workshop at St Andrew’s Methodist Church.

Some of the tasks you could be doing:

• Cleaning, stripping, sanding furniture items
• Gluing, pinning, dowelling, clamping items
• Painting/polishing/finishing items
• Repurposing items
• Designing new products
• Making new furniture products (house & garden items)
• Coordinating the daily running of the workshop

Skills and experience needed:

• Use of chemical cleaners/solvents
• Use of hand & power tools
• Woodwork, joinery & craft skills
• Understanding of paint effects & finishes and when to use them
• Upcycling, design & craft skills
• Knowledge of interior design trends
• Creating pattern/templates (IKEA-style)
• Fabricating furniture from pattern/templates
• An eye for detail - organisation, workflow, planning and problem-solving skills
• Good people skills, experience within a team

Time commitment:
Working from home, or in our workshop in Wythenshawe, we are looking for someone who can commit to at least one half day (10am-1pm or 1pm-4pm) per week.

Training, support and benefits:

• A full induction when you start
• A staff member will support you throughout your time as a volunteer
• An opportunity to develop your skills and experience for a worthwhile cause
• Further training where possible

We value every member of our volunteer team and so we will provide you with a full induction when you start. Our Risk Assessment Policy ensures that all staff and volunteers can work safely - we continue to implement: HANDS - FACE – SPACE and a one-way system throughout the building. 

Please register below to recieve the link to the application form.