Sir – I am writing with respect to your article (May 1) about the Barns Road development. In the article you wrote: “Homeless charity Emmaus will be given a furniture recycling store.”
This isn’t accurate — the charity isn’t being given the store, which will become Oxfordshire’s largest charity shop, but is paying for it to the tune of £578,000.
We did not want this misrepresentation to go uncorrected on account of all the individuals and grant-making bodies from around Oxfordshire and beyond who have given so generously to make the project happen and to whom we are most grateful.
Credit is also due to our ex-homeless residents who work full-time recycling furniture and other household goods in our existing stores, thereby helping to keep the charity afloat, reducing bills to the taxpayer and at the same time providing a service to the public that prevents significant landfill.
We would also like to point out that the vast majority of local residents who have spoken to us have expressed their support for the project and particularly of our own involvement in it — so not every local resident is in opposition as might have been implied in the article.
Wyon Stansfeld, Development Manager, Emmaus Oxford
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