3R Foundation & Charity Shop

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3R Foundation & Charity Shop Over £228,500 granted to over 292 organisations since 2023.
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3R Foundation Charity Shop – Carnforth
Recycle • Reuse • Rehome
Supporting local charities, clubs & community groups across Carnforth, Lancaster, Morecambe, North Lancashire & South Lakes. The 3R Foundation Community Charity Shop in Carnforth raises funds by recycling, reusing and rehoming donated items. Since opening in 2023 we have awarded over £200,000 in grants to 389 local charities, clubs and community groups across Lancaster, Morecambe, North Lancashire and the South Lakes. We have two primary objectives…
​The first one is to put the proceeds raised by the shop straight back into the local community, right at grassroots level. We have a simple application form to allow local small charities, clubs and groups to apply for £250, £500 or £1,000 grants for any projects that benefit the community. The second objective…
​Is to change people’s perception of charity shops.We are part of the new generation of charity shops, welcoming, modern, bright, clean and airy, and not a fusty smell anywhere! You can rest assured that your donated items
will be: Recycled, Reused and Rehomed
AND more importantly…
that the profits raised will then be put to good use to benefit you and your family in the local community

Registered with the UK Charity Commission - Charity Number: 1202342

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £500 to Witherslack Community Shop towards the purchase of a new retail freezer.Locat...
19/10/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £500 to Witherslack Community Shop towards the purchase of a new retail freezer.

Located in the rural South Lakes village of Witherslack, the Community Shop is much more than somewhere to pick up a loaf of bread or a pint of milk. It's a vital local service and friendly meeting place, particularly for older residents and those who may otherwise feel isolated.

Run almost entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers, supported by one part-time member of staff, the shop provides everyday essentials right on the village doorstep, saving residents the need to travel further afield.

Just as importantly, it provides somewhere for people to pop in for a chat, catch up with neighbours and enjoy a little company – something that can make a real difference in a small rural community.

Unfortunately, during the unusually hot weather in May, the shop's 15-year-old retail freezer failed, leaving the volunteers facing an unexpected and expensive replacement.

As a non-profit community enterprise, the shop works hard simply to cover its costs and maintain a small reserve for essential repairs and maintenance.

The 3R grant contributed £500 towards a modern, energy-efficient replacement freezer, helping the shop maintain its range of frozen foods without having to use up so much of its valuable reserves.

The newer equipment also offers improved insulation and lower energy consumption, helping keep running costs down and making the shop more sustainable in the long term.

It's another example of how a relatively modest grant can help keep an important community facility running and supporting the people who rely on it. 💜

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £450 to North West Bird Conservation for five outdoor Barn Owl nesting boxes, helping...
14/10/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £450 to North West Bird Conservation for five outdoor Barn Owl nesting boxes, helping protect and encourage these beautiful birds across the Lower River Lune catchment.

North West Bird Conservation is a charity working to protect and improve bird populations across Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire, with particular attention to species of conservation concern.

Its volunteers are involved in a wide range of projects, including installing Osprey nesting platforms, Barn Owl and Tawny Owl boxes, and specialist nest boxes for Pied Flycatchers and Dippers.

The charity's work covers the River Lune catchment, including the Forest of Bowland, Yorkshire Dales, Westmorland Dales and North Lancashire.

The 3R grant funded five specially designed outdoor Barn Owl boxes, to be installed by volunteers at suitable locations in the Lower Lune area, providing valuable nesting opportunities for these magnificent birds.

And there was a lovely bit of local collaboration involved too! 💜

Rather than simply purchasing the boxes from a commercial supplier, 3R put North West Bird Conservation in touch with Lancaster Men's Hub, another local community organisation.

The Men's Hub had the skills and experience to manufacture the boxes to nationally accepted specifications, so the grant supported two local organisations at the same time – providing important conservation equipment while creating meaningful practical work for the Men's Hub.

It's exactly the sort of collaboration we love to encourage at 3R, bringing local groups together so they can support one another and achieve even more for our community and environment.

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

A great example of 3R Reuse and Rehome in action! The 3R Foundation recently donated approximately £250 worth of assorte...
12/10/2026

A great example of 3R Reuse and Rehome in action!

The 3R Foundation recently donated approximately £250 worth of assorted hand tools and power tools to Greater Garstang Men's Shed, helping the group build up its workshop equipment.

Greater Garstang Men's Shed is a relatively new community organisation supporting mental health and wellbeing by bringing people together through practical activities, friendship and shared skills.

Members work on a variety of projects for local people, churches and community organisations, including restoration work and making new items. Their projects have included an altar table and a full-size wooden cross used in a local Easter parade.

As the Shed continues to develop, members have been working hard to build up a collection of quality tools so they can take on more projects and make an even bigger contribution to their local community.

And this is where 3R was able to help in a slightly different way!

All the tools had originally been donated to our charity shop in Carnforth. However, knowing that Greater Garstang Men's Shed was building up its tool bank, we decided to pass them directly to the group rather than put them on sale.

It's a brilliant example of what Recycle, Reuse, Rehome is all about – giving perfectly useful items a new home where they can do the most good, while helping a local organisation support even more people.

The 3R Foundation supports local charities, clubs and community groups through grants funded by our Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco), but sometimes we can help directly with donated items too!

Every donation and every purchase helps us make a difference across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please keep supporting our shop so we can continue helping even more local organisations.

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £312 to Luneside and Rosebank Bowling and Recreation Club for a replacement battery f...
06/10/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £312 to Luneside and Rosebank Bowling and Recreation Club for a replacement battery for its defibrillator.

Located close to Lancaster city centre, Luneside and Rosebank is a Community Amateur Sports Club centred around crown green bowling and recreation. It has around 80 members, while also welcoming the wider community to many of the events held at the club.

The club has its own defibrillator (AED), providing potentially lifesaving equipment should someone suffer a cardiac arrest while at the club or nearby.

The existing battery had reached the end of its service life, with the final warning indicator showing that replacement was urgently needed.
The 3R grant funded a new £312 replacement battery, ensuring the defibrillator could remain operational and ready for use in an emergency.

It may not be the most exciting purchase, but maintaining a defibrillator properly is every bit as important as installing one in the first place – it needs to be ready to work when somebody needs it most.

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £250 to Branksome Good Neighbours (BGN) for a new laptop for the group’s administrati...
03/10/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £250 to Branksome Good Neighbours (BGN) for a new laptop for the group’s administration and community work.

Branksome Good Neighbours is a resident-led group bringing people together and helping improve life within its local community. The group organises family fun days at Christmas, Easter, Summer and Halloween, as well as an annual coach trip to the Blackpool Air Show.

Throughout the year, volunteers also run a weekly coffee morning at the Toby Inn and a monthly community litter pick, which has seen a growing number of local children getting involved and helping to look after their neighbourhood.

Much of this is made possible by volunteers giving their time to fundraising, organising events and making things for raffles and children’s Christmas gift boxes. BGN also works alongside organisations including Lancaster City Council’s Community Engagement Team, the Fire Brigade, Police and Morecambe FC Community Foundation.

Behind all those activities comes plenty of administration! The group’s Secretary had been keeping everything running on an increasingly outdated laptop that could no longer even run Microsoft Office.

The 3R grant funded a new group laptop with Microsoft 365, providing a reliable machine for keeping records, producing publicity, preparing grant applications and organising BGN’s growing programme of community activities.

Sometimes it’s the less glamorous equipment behind the scenes that helps keep a busy community group running!

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £350 to Calm Together Group C.I.C. for a Feelings & Emotions Kit, sensory hamper and ...
01/10/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £350 to Calm Together Group C.I.C. for a Feelings & Emotions Kit, sensory hamper and comb binder to support its work with young children.

Calm Together provides early intervention focused on children’s emotional wellbeing and development. The team identified a particular gap in support for children under five who may be struggling with big emotions, trauma responses and early behavioural challenges.

In response, Calm Together expanded its work with under-fives, using a child-centred and trauma-informed approach to help children understand and express their emotions, develop regulation skills, build positive relationships and become more emotionally prepared for starting school.

The 3R grant funded specialist sensory and emotional regulation resources, providing practical tools that can be used for calming, co-regulation and engagement during sessions.

It also funded a comb binder so the team can produce individual workbooks for each child, with activities and strategies tailored to their needs. These can help provide consistency between Calm Together sessions, home and other settings supporting the child.

Early support can make a real difference, and these are practical resources that will help Calm Together provide individual, age-appropriate support at an important stage in a child’s development.

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £291 to Millhead Youth Football Club for 16 footballs, bibs, cones and a range of tra...
29/09/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £291 to Millhead Youth Football Club for 16 footballs, bibs, cones and a range of training markers and equipment.

Millhead Youth Football Club provides grassroots football for nearly 50 local children, with three teams covering different age groups and mixed genders – an Under 9s girls’ team and two mixed Under 11s teams.

With so many youngsters taking part, having enough equipment for everyone makes a big difference to the quality of their training sessions.

The 3R grant provided 16 new footballs, meaning each child can have much more time with a ball during training rather than having to share between larger groups. It also funded bibs, cones, markers and training equipment that coaches can use to lay out different drills and create more varied and challenging sessions as the players develop their skills.

It’s another great example of a relatively small grant providing plenty of equipment that will be used week after week by dozens of local youngsters, helping them stay active, learn new skills and enjoy playing football together.

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £954 to Lancaster & Morecambe Community First Responders for a replacement AED (defib...
24/09/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £954 to Lancaster & Morecambe Community First Responders for a replacement AED (defibrillator).

Lancaster & Morecambe Community First Responders are trained volunteers who respond to emergency 999 calls on behalf of North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, providing vital early care while an ambulance crew is on its way.

Responders attend incidents including cardiac arrests, breathing difficulties, unconscious patients, falls and other life-threatening medical emergencies across Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding area. They give their time voluntarily and carry essential lifesaving equipment in their own vehicles, allowing them to respond quickly within their local communities.

Crucially, the equipment carried by the volunteers is funded entirely through donations and community fundraising, with no funding from the NHS.

Three of the team's existing defibrillators had recently reached the end of their operational lives and had to be taken out of service. Without the required clinical equipment, individual volunteers cannot respond to emergency calls, meaning fewer responders are available when every minute can make a difference.

The 3R grant funded one replacement AED, putting this vital piece of equipment back into the hands of a volunteer responder and helping the team continue providing potentially lifesaving treatment before an ambulance arrives.

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

We’ve now awarded an incredible £228,568 through 424 grants, supporting more than 292 organisations across Lancaster, Mo...
21/09/2026

We’ve now awarded an incredible £228,568 through 424 grants, supporting more than 292 organisations across Lancaster, Morecambe and the South Lakes.

A huge thank you to everyone who shops with us, donates goods and supports the 3R Foundation - you make every one of these grants possible! 💜💛

We’re an independent community charity shop in Carnforth, run by a local team and volunteers. By donating your unwanted items and buying something that might otherwise have been thrown away, you help us recycle, reuse and raise vital funds.

Every penny of profit supports small clubs, community organisations, non-profits and charities with unforeseen expenses, emergencies and small projects that matter to local people - each and every month.

Have a look at some of the projects we’ve funded here:
https://www.3rc.org.uk/updates

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £840 to the Silver Sapling Girlguiding Campsite for four new picnic benches.Set in be...
21/09/2026

The 3R Foundation recently awarded £840 to the Silver Sapling Girlguiding Campsite for four new picnic benches.

Set in beautiful countryside and woodland at Silverdale, Silver Sapling provides an outdoor setting where Girlguiding and Scouting groups can camp, enjoy the outdoors and take part in activities together. The site is also used by schools whose students are completing Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

Volunteers have recently put a lot of work into clearing a large area of overgrown brambles, creating a valuable new space away from the main camping and tent areas.

The 3R grant funded four picnic benches for this newly cleared area, giving visiting groups and schools somewhere practical to sit, eat, meet and enjoy the surroundings during day visits, camps and weekends away.

It’s a simple addition that makes much better use of the space and provides something that young people visiting the campsite can benefit from for years to come.

The 3R Foundation funds grants like this through the Recycle, Reuse, Rehome charity shop in Carnforth (next to Tesco).

Every purchase in the shop helps fund grants for local charities, clubs and community groups across North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Please support the shop so we can continue helping even more organisations in our area.

Address

76 Lancaster Road
Carnforth
LA59LE

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441524932125

Website

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