Business and charity have always gone hand-in-hand at Reed. As a business that is 18% owned by charity, we endeavour to show a social conscience with all our actions at work, both big and small.

As part of our brick-and-mortar refresh, some offices have gone through a complete refurbishment meanwhile some of our older offices have been bid farewell in favour of more modern spaces that suit our dynamic working style. Such is the case for Charles House, our former flagship office in Northampton which we departed in Spring of 2021 to our new home at Brackmills Industrial Estate, alongside industry giants such as Barclaycard & Aviva.

This relocation left us with the question of what to do with the hundreds of pieces of office furniture left behind, knowing that someone somewhere could be putting them to great use. The answer to that question… charity! We discovered Clear Workspace, an office clearance company with an environmentally friendly twist – their extensive network of charities means they’re able to commit to reusing or recycling 99% of office waste they collect, sometimes travelling continents to ensure this commitment.

“I was given the recommendation of speaking to Clear Workspace when looking what to do with all the second-hand office items in Charles House, it was a large amount and disposing of it all didn’t seem right. Finding out that Clear Workspace work with charities in Africa and the UK made them feel like a good fit for Reed”

Clare Simpson

Head of Property Services – Reed.

After selecting Clear Workspace as our partner on the project, the office was cleared of all equipment within five days and Clear Workspace were able to confirm that due to the healthy condition of the equipment, it was viable to be reserved for one of their global charity initiatives.

“We have a personal connection with the charities we work with and consequently, they are close to our hearts. One of our most recent projects is sponsoring the conversion of an old Portuguese plantation house in Santiago, Cape Verde, to a school for underprivileged local children – we have retained the furniture from Reed to be shipped out for this project. We have been collecting chairs, desks, stationery, whiteboards etc to help furnish the school which we hope will be up and running as early as Easter.”

Clear Workspace
Clearspace Image

We are steadfast in our commitment to the environment and bringing our charitable values to life. We’ve been CarbonNeutral since 2005 and encourage our co-members to lead environmentally-friendly lifestyles via initiatives such as our Cycle to Work scheme or Veganuary cooking competitions. Here’s to an eco-friendly 2022! Check out some pics of our lovely new Northampton office below.

By Ryan Pearson