A WOOD store that provides a step on the career ladder to the unemployed is making itself at home with a new showroom and warehouse in Abingdon.

Oxford Wood Recycling is a social enterprise giving the unemployed work, recycling old wood and providing cheaper wood for customers.

Over the years, it has given more than 60 people work experience and provided 18 of them a full-time job.

Now based at the Ashville Trading Estate, managers hope they can expand the business by making furniture for sale.

Chief executive Richard Snow said: “We moved earlier in the year but we had our official opening at the end of last month.

“This gives us a huge space and it’s nice to be in a town where people will know about us more.

“It means we will be able to save more wood and also support the local community with our services and employment.”

Founded in 2005, Oxford Wood Recycling aims to help the long-term unemployed get back into work, and spread the word about recycling.

The company takes wood from construction sites and old buildings and sells it on as planks, wood chippings or kindling.

Mr Snow, of Appleton, near Didcot, said: “We’re reclaiming waste wood and now we’re starting to make it into furniture.

“In construction projects we get timber that can’t be used and a lot of loose pallets that get delivered with bricks or blocks on.

“We add more value to the wood through our processes.

“We get paid to collect waste wood and about 20 per cent of that we can clean up and put back onto the market, rather than sending it through the chipper.”

As well as being able to store more wood for customers, employees are turning that wood into furniture.

The team has a new showroom, made out of wooden planks, above the warehouse.

Mr Snow said: “We’ve started by making planters and vegetable crates, also some shelving.

“We’ll be moving on to garden furniture and benches to add more value.”

General manager and director Kim Styles said: “We’re hoping people will buy the products that we make.

“We get a lot of people already visiting us to buy wood and we’re hoping to entice some of those to come upstairs to buy the furniture.

“It’s also quite inspiring to help people get going on other projects.

“We want to inspire the younger generation to buy wood and do their own designs.”

For more information, visit oxfordwoodrecycling.org.uk