Lighting the way: how Salter’s donations brightened community spirits

What do 52 colour-changing LED strips, some gloriously funky lightshades and a modern kitchen have in common? They all found loving new homes thanks to another round of wonderful donations from our long-time champions at London-based Salter Demolition.

Spotlight on Salter

Salter Demolition is more than just a leader in its field – it’s a business that puts reuse and community benefit at the heart of what it does. As a paying annual subscriber to A Good Thing, it’s committed to ensuring that beautiful, functional items from its projects don’t go to waste.

Earlier this year, Salter Demolition amazed us with a treasure trove of donations, and now it’s done it again! This spring, it passed on a spectacular selection of items to four brilliant local charities: 52 dazzling colour-changing LED striplights, 28 vibrant lightshades in a mix of colours and styles, three sturdy bike racks, and a sleek contemporary kitchen suite.

Zoe Graves and Ilŷd Thomas, key members of the Salter Demolition team, are true champions of our mission. “We love A Good Thing and will continue to use it,” they told us. And they mean it – this is their second big donation through the platform this year.

Where the donations went

St Paul’s Art Trust

Three funky-coloured orange lightshades found a perfect new stage at St Paul’s Art Trust, a small theatre charity nestled on the Isle of Dogs. When the charity spotted the lightshades on our platform, it knew exactly where they would go: the theatre’s staircase area. “These shades would massively improve our staircase area!” the Trust told us. Now, thanks to Salter’s donation, audiences are welcomed with a warm, creative glow before they take their seats!

Hackney Playbus

At the brilliant Hackney Playbus charity, staff travel across East London to deliver play and learning sessions for children under five – giving every child the chance to grow, thrive and reach their potential. Most of the team cycle to their new depot office for the sessions, but (until now) there was nowhere to securely lock their bikes. Salter’s donation of bike racks has solved that problem, giving staff a safe place to store their bikes and making their daily work safer, easier and more sustainable.

Single Homeless Project

Meanwhile, at the Single Homeless Project, the donated bike racks will support a hands-on bike project for young people in Greenwich and Lewisham in south-east London, where residents can build and repair their own bikes. This practical skill fosters independence, boosts confidence and promotes wellbeing through creativity.
The only missing piece was safe storage – and Salter’s donation has provided exactly that! As Sport Coordinator Will Ewing told us, “We’re planning a volunteer day to build a shed, and the racks will be installed there.” Soon, residents will have secure storage to protect their hard work.

Response Community Projects

At west London-based Response Community Projects, the standout piece from Salter’s donation – a beautiful modern kitchen suite complete with cupboards, countertop and island – has found a new home at the charity’s community hub. Response Community Projects also received multiple lightshades and LED strips to brighten the space.

CEO Sheraine Williams is a long-time supporter of A Good Thing and was one of our very first charity users. The new kitchen is already being fitted and will soon become the heart of the hub, providing a welcoming space for cooking, learning, community meals and workshops.

Sheraine summed it up perfectly: “Thanks, A Good Thing, for your amazing partnership work with Response.”

But truly, it’s we who should be thanking her – for turning donations into opportunities that bring people together.

Keeping the good things going

From theatre staircases to community kitchens, and from safe bike storage to brighter spaces, Salter Demolition’s donations have sparked positive change across London. By passing on items instead of sending them to landfill, the organisation has shown how generosity can light up lives (quite literally).

At A Good Thing, we believe that one business’s leftovers can be another charity’s opportunity – and stories like this are exactly why we do what we do. Here’s to keeping the good things going!

Feeling inspired? Sign up!