Following a major refurbishment to update and restyle the majority of its rooms, Down Hall Country House Hotel, near Bishop’s Stortford, has donated hundreds of items of bedroom furniture and art to the British Heart Foundation. The value of the items donated to the charity is expected to exceed £6000.
The investment of £1.5m in the property and its soft furnishings has left the hotel with a surplus of table lamps, desk lamps, bed bases, mattresses, curtains, bathroom mirrors, desk mirrors, sofa beds and 160 pieces of art – 708 items in total.
Anna Snoep, director of sales and marketing at Down Hall, explains: “We were keen to ensure the improvements we’ve made to the hotel had positive effects throughout. Therefore, adding to the landfill problem with furniture, fittings and art – that were still in perfectly good condition – didn’t sit well with us. Instead we wanted to help people and upcycle our unwanted items by donating them to British Heart Foundation. I feel it also demonstrates that thinking of alternative solutions to everyday problems can sometimes uncover simple ways to benefit others.”
Karen O’Donoghue from the British Heart Foundation adds: “We were thrilled to be asked to collect a large number of items from Down Hall Country House Hotel. British Heart Foundation aims to collect items and sell them locally in our BHF Furniture & Electrical stores. Down Hall’s collection was taken to our Colchester store for sale to the local community.
“Many items of Down Hall’s furniture and that of hotels in general are in excellent condition, and make a fabulous addition to someone’s home. We are always delighted to work with hotels enabling them to divert items from the waste stream. We look forward to working with Down Hall in the future with any future refurbishments and helping their green credentials, supporting reuse and the local community in the fight for every heartbeat.”
