Revamped Fisherrow scrapstore reopens doors to public

The room has been given a facelift and has been fully renovated and decorated.

The facility is run by the Borders Scrapstore, a non-profit making organisation that is run by a committee of volunteers.

By collecting and redistributing materials from household and industrial waste, the charity aims to improve the range and quality of materials available for art, craft and play.

On offer are goods including brushes, buttons, card, carpet squares, glue, paints, tins, wallpaper samples, wool and yarn.

Highlighting the refurbishment carried out at the Musselburgh scrapstore, a spokesperson for Borders Scrapstore said: “The grotty old wooden floor has been sanded and polished and looks fantastic. We completely gutted the place and have installed new shelving. It looks excellent and we hope it will be easier to get round, and actually see what we’ve got.

“We owe a huge debt of thanks to The Fisherrow Trust, who have done a tremendous amount of work under difficult conditions to help us get the scrapstore back up and running.”

A track and trace form has to be filled in on entering the South Street-based centre.

The scrapstore has reopened at the Fisherrow Centre. Photo: Facebook.

The spokesperson explained: “We may have to limit numbers in the scrapstore at any one time to ensure social distancing. There will be hand sanitiser available and we ask people to please wear a face-covering unless they can’t for medical reasons.”

The new opening hours, now the same as the scrapstore at Selkirk, are: Tuesdays, 10am-4pm; Wednesdays, 10am-4pm; and Thursdays, 2pm-5pm.

The spokesperson said: “Our experience on reopening at Selkirk makes us think there may be an awful lot of donations coming in, for which we are very grateful. The donations are vital to us.

“However, we have hardly any storage space at Fisherrow so we would ask people please to be patient and not bring in any more than two bags of donations at any one time. That will help our staff and volunteers cope with what will be a busy time.

“It’s been a long time and we can’t wait to welcome people in again. Do please remember that we have a responsibility to all our helpers and to the staff of The Fisherrow Centre, and to yourselves as well. Scrapstore users are a responsible bunch and we know you’ll take the correct measures to help keep us all safe and well.”

Annual membership fees for the scrapstore are £7 for an individual or £10 for a group of up to 25 users, to help cover costs. Small amounts are charged for salvaged materials, and the scrapstore carries a range of new art and craft supplies. Support is received from East Lothian Council and Scottish Borders Council.

The committee, which employs part-time staff, relies on volunteers and always welcomes new helpers.

Scrapstore supporters have also been asked to sign up for the East Lothian Community Lottery at eastlothianlottery.co.uk for a weekly draw at £1 per go, with 50p of every ticket going to the scrapstore if you sign up on its page, and another 10p going to other good causes in East Lothian. There’s a £25,000 weekly jackpot and other prizes.