A LUXURY Malvern hotel has got together with a local charity to provide a new home for second-hand furniture.

Nick and Julia Davies, the new owners of the Cottage in the Wood in Malvern Wells, are about to begin a £2.5 million refurbishment project.

And they have agreed to donate the furniture, bedding and fittings they no longer need to Second Chance Furnishings, a not-for-profit social enterprise set up by St Paul’s Hostel in Worcester as a life-skills project for vulnerable people

The project involves collecting and selling good-quality second-hand and new furniture and white goods.

The charity also delivers furniture and white goods to people in need across Worcestershire as part of the Discretionary Welfare Assistance Scheme.

Mr Davies got in touch with the charity via the Worcestershire Ambassadors, which he is a member of along with the chairman of Second Chance Phil Fowler.

Mr Fowler said: “We are hugely grateful to Nick and Julia for recognising that the items they were removing for the refurbishment still have lots of life in them and can be used elsewhere in the community. On behalf of the Worcestershire Ambassadors and Second Chance Furnishing, a huge thank-you.”

Mr Davies said: “When we moved to the area, it quickly become clear that the Worcestershire Ambassadors are a vital part of the Worcestershire community and they have helped facilitate this connection and others for us.

"Their mission is to promote Worcestershire and that is what the Cottage in the Woods also aims to do by bringing people to the county. This collection was a positive step towards the exciting developments we are undergoing here.”

Mr and Mrs Davies intend to restore the hotel, in Holywell Road, to its Georgian glory. The newly refurbished restaurant and bar will be welcoming guests from March onwards.