Charlie Buckingham helps to sell chopping boards at Stroud Farmers Market with dad Tim and sister Ellie
Local kitchen designer’s son is a chip off the old block
Charlie Buckingham helps to sell chopping boards at Stroud Farmers' Market with dad Tim and sister Ellie
When Rodborough Primary School pupils Charlie Buckingham and Sam Hanahoe finished their year 6 project they not only turned a profit – they taught local businessman Tim Buckingham a thing or two about sustainable enterprise!
“My dad’s workshop used to be full of little bits of really nice wood left over from making people’s kitchens and I thought it was a real waste,” explains Charlie, whose dad Tim is co-founder of Woodchester Cabinet Makers of Inchbrook. “We’ve been taught at school about how important it is to recycle as much as we can so Sam and I tried to think of a way we could re-use them.”
The boys decided that the off cuts would be ideal to use as chopping boards and with a bit of help from Tim set about designing, cutting and sanding a selection of boards.
When the boys sold over 30 boards in just one day it gave the team at Woodchester Cabinet Makers some real food for thought.
“It made me realise that perhaps we don’t always do as much as we could” Says Tim “It’s quite humbling to be taught a lesson by an 11 year old!”
Tim has now made a pact with Charlie to keep up the good work by setting aside time at the workshop to recycle off cuts into new chopping boards to be sold at Stroud’s prestigious farmers' market.
“It’s really good to feel like we’ve changed how a real business works,” concludes Charlie. “I hope that others will see what we’ve done and change things too.”
