Danny Dawes is the larger-than-life personality behind Grandads Front Room, a Community Interest Company (CIC) in Bognor Regis. Since 2014, Danny has become a go-to person for those in need in the community.
Grandads Front Room started as a way for Danny and his family to make ends meet. They would buy items on eBay, polish them up, and resell them. But as they began to see the needs of others in their community, they started giving items away for free.
People needed cheap items quickly, so, at that point we realised that as much as we were struggling, there were other people who may be struggling more than us.
Photo by Peter Flude
Danny’s grandfather inspired the name and ethos of Grandads Front Room. ‘My grandad helped everybody. In Sheffield, he would go and visit two local markets that would have all sorts of fruit and veg, fish, and tonnes of butchers! At the end of the day, he would buy whatever he could and give it all away to people that were struggling in his community.’
Danny sees Grandads Front Room as the ‘glue’ of the community, linking those in need with those who can help. He is passionate about helping others and is always looking for ways to do more.
The CIC has grown from operating out of a barn to a commercial premise with more storage space. They continue to give essential household items to those coming out of homelessness, while selling vintage, antique, and retro items to fund their operations.
In Danny’s own words, ‘We started giving items away, because the smile on their face and the tear in their eye when you gave it to them for free was payment enough, and we appreciated that their needs were greater than ours.’
Photo by Peter Flude
Danny sees Grandads Front Room being the link between those in need and those that can help. He says he often sees people throwing away beautiful items of furniture because it may seem old to them but knows it would be of great value to someone else.
However you describe it – a thrift shop, an emporium, a community hub, Aladdin’s cave, or a friendly place to find support in times of need, we encourage you to visit Grandads Front Room and experience it for yourself.
