The Great North Air Ambulance Service’s (GNAAS) clothing recycling team have officially relocated from Newton Aycliffe to the charity’s headquarters near Eaglescliffe.
GNAAS’ Trading Company has been collecting and recycling used clothing, books, and office supplies donated by the public since 2004, with all of its profits donated to the charity on an annual basis.
The team from the Trading Company have resided at Aycliffe’s Business Park for several years but have now relocated to the charity’s headquarters in Urlay Nook, Eaglescliffe.
They have joined their charity services colleagues who moved into the building in April 2019, and the critical care team who relocated their operations from Teesside Airport in August 2020.
David Stockton, chief executive officer at GNAAS, said: “When our lease agreement was coming to an end at our Newton Aycliffe site last year, we decided it was in the charity’s interests to move our clothing recycling operation to our headquarters in Eaglescliffe.
“The move will allow us to reduce our overheads, increase interoperability between the teams at HQ and will provide an opportunity to re-invest these savings to support the future growth of the Trading Company and its subsequent fundraising for our front-line service.”
GNAAS does not receive government funding and needs to raise £7.7m a year to remain operational.
Most recently the charity has started operating 24/7 in the North East meaning they are now providing care seven days a week on the aircraft and seven nights a week on a rapid response vehicle.
David added: “Becoming a 24/7 service has been a long-term goal of the charity so we’re very proud to finally see it come to fruition in the North East.
“This is just one of the significant milestones we’ve achieved thanks to the support of the public, whether that is from donating, fundraising, or simply filling a bag with your unwanted clothing.”
Despite covid and the war in Ukraine impacting the Trading Company’s activity, their most recent donation to the charity was £200,000, which will fund over 40 call-outs.
To make collections easier, the Trading Company offer a service Monday to Saturday, where people can book in a collection at a pre-arranged time, so they can feel reassured that their donated items are going directly to the charity.
This service is available across the North East, Northumberland and Cumbria and can be booked via GNAAS’ Facebook page facebook.com/GNairambulance or by calling 01325 308 139.
Donations can also be dropped off on-site at The Trading Company’s new address, which is Progress House, Urlay Nook Road, Eaglescliffe, TS16 0QB.
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