A CHARITY urgently needs donations of unwanted furniture and household goods.

Blackburn with Darwen Churches Action, Chapel Street, Blackburn, is in desperate need of help as the numbers of people coming to them has increased by 20 per cent while donations have decreased by 20 per cent.

The situation has been made worse after the charity had thousands of pounds worth of equipment, including two computers, furniture, bedding and even their biscuits, stolen earlier this week.

General manager Fred Milligan said the charity has been forced to restrict customers to four items only to enable them to help as many people as possible.

Mr Milligan said: “We continue to be inundated with clients each week at our two furniture stores, the demand has become greater the than ever, due mainly to the worsening economic situation and the consequent increase in clients who have had their homes repossessed.

“At the same time we are also being asked to help more asylum seekers who are being re-housed within the borough, as well as our usual number of core clients who have suffered a variety of misfortunes in their lives leading them to be provided with social housing, but having no means of furnishing it.”

There has been an overall shortage in furniture but is particularly in need of beds, suites and wardrobes.

The charity, which has been in Blackburn and Darwen, for more than five years, offers a training scheme for unemployed people to learn new skills. To date 29 trainees under the New Deal government scheme have found jobs as a result.

Mr Milligan said: “We continue to recycle and re-use a wide variety of furniture and household goods which are donated to us due to the generosity of the general public, as well as the white goods which we collect on behalf of the local authority and repair and refurbish in our two electrical repair training workshops for re-use by our furniture store clients.”

To make a donation contact Mr Milligan on 01254 680 317.