Shaun Doran : Bulky Bob's
What is Bulky Bob's all about?
The commercial heart of Bulky Bob’s is a bulky waste collection, reuse and recycling service. We operate local authority contracts and the items collected from householders are predominantly redundant furniture/appliances. Bulky Bob’s maximises reuse/recycling to prevent good quality items being landfilled. Bulky Bob’s operates prison refurbishment workshops in which prisoners undertake meaningful employment and training. Bulky Bob’s Furniture World is the high street store selling great quality ‘pre-loved’ furniture/appliances. Furniture World is not a typical second-hand shop but a good quality retail environment where people get fantastic value for money. Throughout the business, trainees are employed on salaried training programmes which see 80% going into work.
What is the social impact?
Bulky Bob’s creates social impact in many ways – linked by our charitable aims of making a positive change for people living in poverty and unemployment:
- Trainees – previously unemployed people on training programmes
- Work placement participants – unemployed people with little/no work experience, people with disabilities or ex-offenders
- Furniture World customers receiving discounts – people receiving benefits, pensioners, support agency referrals
- People in crisis referred to Bulky Bob’s Furniture World for free furniture
- Social support agencies – referring people for work placements or access crisis furniture support
- Prisons where we provide training workshops for offenders serving custodial sentences
Who are the people involved?
Shaun Doran joined FRC Group – Bulky Bob’s parent charity - in 1999 and was central to the startup and ongoing success of Bulky Bob’s. Before FRC, Shaun’s career was in the timber industry -managing timber import, export, and manufacturing companies in the UK, Europe and North America. Shaun graduated from Liverpool University (Sociology) and Liverpool John Moores University (Business and Finance) and was awarded a scholarship to Harvard Business School’s ‘Non Profit Management’ programme. Shaun’s understanding and experience of the commercial world and social enterprise provides a rare blend of skills.
Shaun is supported by an exceptional management team with wide and varied skills and experience. The key players in this team are Phil Tottey – Deputy CEO -; Helen Halpin – Operations Manager; Verity Timmins – Impact Manager; and Niki Hough – Finance Manager.
What are the future plans?
Bulky Bob’s future plans are to gain more local authority contracts which will in turn enable the growth of social impact. Each new council contract creates increased opportunity to employ long term unemployed people on training contracts, provide work placements , create prison workshops and give access to great quality preloved furniture to low income families.
www.bulkybobs.co.uk and www.frcgroup.co.uk based in Liverpool & Oldham