May 2, 2026
May has brought more sunshine so we can start to put some furniture items outside and spread our wings a little. As always we welcome small furniture items such as coffee tables (much in demand), bedside cupboards, stools, chairs and small desks.
We are currently looking for volunteers who can drive a 15 seater mini-bus which we are able to borrow to drop bulky items at people’s homes. We want to ensure that everyone is able to benefit from the Free Shop, not just those with access to vehicles. Being a volunteer driver can be a small commitment, as little as once a month would be very welcome. Please contact us by email greenwayscbo@gmail.com, via Facebook DM or in the unit if you would like to help.
Green Ways Free Shop Sessions up to 19th May are detailed below; additional dates to be added once confirmed.
Sunday 3 May 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 5 May 10am to 1pm
Thursday 7 May 12 midday to 2pm
Sunday 10 May 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 12 May 10am to 1pm
Thursday 14 May 12 midday to 2pm
Tuesday 19 May 10am to 1pm
Thursday 21 May 12 midday to 2pm
Sunday 24 May 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 26 May 10am to 12 midday
Sunday 31 May 11am to 1pm
Drop-off Sessions
Tues 5 May 1-2pm
Sun 10 May 1-2pm
Weds 13 May 630pm to 830pm
Tues 19 May 1-2pm
Tues 26 May 12-1pm
Sun 31 May 1-2pm
Mar 26, 2026
April is here, and we look forward to warmer days with time spent outside. Our activities for this month are below. Please note that these have been updated with some Sunday openings and drop-off sessions in the evening. Scroll down for a summary image that you can download by right clicking.
Green Ways Free Shop Sessions
Thursday 2 April 1130am -130pm
Tuesday 7 April 10am to 1pm
Thursday 9 April 12 midday to 2pm
Sunday 12 April 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 14 April 10am to 1pm
Thursday 16 April 12 midday to 2pm
Saturday 18 April 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 21 April 10am to 1pm
Thursday 23 April 12 midday to 2pm
Tuesday 28 April 10am to 1pm
Thursday 30 April 12 midday to 2pm
Drop-Off Sessions
Tuesday 7 April 1-2pm
Sunday 12 April 1-2pm
Tuesday 14 April 1-2pm
Wednesday 15 April 630pm-830pm
Tuesday 21 April 1-2pm
Wednesday 29 April 630pm-830pm
As always there is a desperate need for medium and large suitcases; some of the hotels in the Reading area will be closing in the next few weeks. Sewing sessions are on hold at the moment as our grant funding has run out for this activity. If anyone with experience of using the sewing machines would like to volunteer to run sessions, do contact us. Even if you can only offer a few sessions it would be great to keep this going whilst we look for additional funding.
Mar 2, 2026
Our activities for March are detailed on our calendar which you can view by clicking on the link below:
March calendar of Activities
Apparently people like a clear out in the spring – think of us when you are giving stuff away. We can receive most items, but nothing too big – bedside tables, dining chairs and coffee tables are the largest items that we can take. If we had more space we would love to take more! We know that there is a need for larger items such as beds and sofas and hope to be in a position to receive these at some point in the future.
As always, along with all the other items we can receive, we welcome donations of sunglasses and sun hats for people with albinism. We send these to an organisation in Sierra Leone that gives them out to people free of charge. People with albinism are on the frontlines of climate change and in resource-poor settings struggle to protect themselves rising temperatures.
Climate change is real.
Feb 2, 2026
Our February dates are below; click on the link to open the pdf.
Updated schedule FEB GREEN WAYS
*PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE CLOSED DURING HALF TERM, 15 TO 22 FEBRUARY*.
We look forward to seeing you this month.
Jan 1, 2026
Happy New Year!
As we enter our third year of running the Free Shop we extend our thanks to Trustees, volunteers and our coordinator for their commitment to running Green Ways. We constantly receive lovely feedback from people who use the Free Shop and are frequently tagged on social media when people in the community are requesting help with essential items. Please continue to tell people about us so everyone can benefit from the items that we receive. Together we can save money, the planet’s resources and create a sharing community.
January’s calendar of opening times and events can be seen by clicking on this link:
January GW Events Calendar
We hope to see you soon.
Dec 6, 2025
Our December activities are detailed below. We wish all our customers and supporters a relaxing end to the year and a peaceful 2026. If you would like to support our work in the new year, including volunteering for us, please get in touch. We are also looking for people who have a vehicle and may be able to drop an item of furniture (chair, bedside drawers etc) off at the home of a customer in the Reading area. One drop-off a month would be very welcome. We recognise that even if our items are free, if people do not have access to transport, they will continue to be inaccessible.
