Our story

Our mission began in 1995 as a volunteer run milk float peddling the streets of Lewes, East Sussex collecting and redistributing unwanted furniture and electrical household items to residents most in need. Shortly after, Furniture Now! was formed as an independent non-profit and, in 2015, we rebranded as the Now! Charity Group Ltd (Now!).

Throughout our history, our strong foundation as an innovative non-profit social enterprise has driven our mission to build prosperous and sustainable futures for people and planet. We are committed to maximising our social, economic and environmental impact. We achieve this by increasing public accessibility to quality household essentials, greener waste management techniques and investment in local community projects.

Furniture Now!

Furniture Now! is Now!’s oldest and most recognised service, consisting of retail sites located in Lewes, Eastbourne and Hailsham, all of which supply a range of new and second-hand household furniture and appliances. Furniture Now! replenishes inventory via a core network of suppliers and a free household collection service conducted across Sussex 5 days a week. Furniture Now! generates income via two streams. Firstly, a traditional B2C model which welcomes the public to its stores to purchase available items and, secondly, a B2B model which works with partners to furnish properties and supply goods via referrals. Some of our B2B partners include Southern Housing Group, East Sussex County Council, Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and East Sussex Citizens Advice.

Community Now!

Community Now! is a newly created arm of Now! and is delivered via the gifting of grants from our Sustainable Community Fund. Our micro grants (up to £500) and large grants (up to £5000), the latter delivered in partnership with the Sussex Community Foundation. Grants are distributed to support East Sussex community projects working to: reduce waste and environmental impact through adopting measures that repurpose, recycle and repair products and materials. Any projects which seek to use repair, reuse, recycling or upcycling activities to alleviate household poverty and improve the quality of living for people in their homes are particularly encouraged.

In addition to our grants scheme, Now! has significant experience delivering NCFE English and Maths qualifications to adult learners across East Sussex. Accredited as an ‘Outstanding’ training provider since 2016, our skills provision has proven a valuable tool in assisting hundreds of local people develop in their current jobs, seek new employment or to socially integrate in their communities.

The remit of Community Now! also extends to free community use of facilities and/or access to volunteers through a staff time giveback scheme.