The Re-use Shop at Foxhall Recycling Centre near Ipswich is to temporarily relocate at the end of January to one of the borough’s most historic buildings as part of a £7.8 million redevelopment of the site.

The popular shop will be based at The Ancient House in Buttermarket, Ipswich town centre, from January 30 as work gets underway on preparing a new location within the recycling centre.

The Ancient House is a Grade 1 listed building that dates to the 15th century and which is now owned by Ipswich Borough Council.

The temporary shop will be open Monday – Saturday between 10am-4pm with proceeds going to The Benjamin Foundation, which has been supporting young people in Suffolk and Norfolk for more than 25 years.

The existing shop at Foxhall will cease trading on Sunday 22 January at 4pm, to allow for the changeover to take place.

The Re-use Shop sells furniture, sports equipment, kitchen supplies, books, toys, and bric-a-brac, collected at the 11 recycling centres across Suffolk, and which would otherwise have been disposed of as waste. There is a sister shop at the Bury St Edmunds site.

Work on the redevelopment of Foxhall Recycling Centre, which is operated on behalf of the council by FCC Environment, began in October.

Once complete there will be increased capacity for cars on site, reduced queuing, and improved access from Foxhall Road, plus greater capacity to meet future growth.

Councillor Richard Smith, Suffolk County Council Cabinet member for Economic Development, Transport Strategy and Waste, says: “We are delighted to be re-locating the Re-use shop at Foxhall as part of our phased approach to redeveloping our facilities yet still delivering on our agenda to encourage reuse and thereby avoid waste.

“By purchasing items from the Re-use Shop you are not only extending the life and use of the items instead of throwing them away, you are supporting a local charity that undertakes important work throughout Suffolk.”

The Benjamin Foundation works via a range of services to prevent youth homelessness, provide emotional wellbeing support, and offer positive activities for young people, including young carers.

Paul Sinclair, the foundation’s Operations Manager, says: “We know times are tight right now which means our vital work supporting young people is more important than ever before.

“Every item the public donates and that they buy from our shops really does make a difference, so rather than shutting shop in Foxhall for a while we are relocating to allow shoppers to continue to bag bargains for a good cause.

“We are sure this new location will prove a popular choice both for our regular customers and hopefully we will bring new residents into our reuse revolution.”