When Horwood House was purchased from the previous hotel group and refurbished, we made a conscious effort to reuse, donate or recycle items wherever possible rather than sending them to waste.

Mattresses and conference chairs were donated to a charity, which arranged for them to be sent to Africa and reused. Metal table legs and chair legs that would otherwise have gone into the skip were collected by a company that recycled and reused them elsewhere.

More recently, when we replaced computers across the hotel, the old equipment was refurbished and donated to local schools rather than disposed of.

Our maintenance team has also repurposed leftover MDF into laptop and monitor stands for the sales team, giving waste material a practical new use.

This mindset runs through the estate: before we replace, we ask whether something can be repaired, reused, donated, restored or reimagined.

Our old Wishing Well is being refurbished by our maintenance team using reclaimed tiles.

This project reflects the spirit of The Workshop. It protects an existing feature, avoids unnecessary new materials and gives old tiles a new life in a way that feels appropriate to the estate.

It also celebrates the craftsmanship of our team, who often find practical and creative ways to improve the hotel without losing character.

Horwood House has previously worked with RoughStuff Oak, supporting ex-offenders’ rehabilitation through furniture made from recycled materials.

Their work has featured in our breakfast buffet areas, helping us combine practical reuse with social impact.

This is the kind of supplier relationship we value: one where materials, craftsmanship and purpose come together.

Our Package with a Purpose uses upcycled, second-hand and charity-sourced items to create distinctive event set-ups.

We purchase as much as possible from local charity shops, including Willen Hospice. This includes vintage mismatched china plates, bowls, serving dishes, cutlery, crockery, utensils and decorative items used to enhance food stations and event experiences.

This approach:

• Supports local charities
• Reduces the need to buy new
• Gives reused items a second life
• Creates memorable, characterful event styling
• Helps corporate clients add purpose to meetings and events

The Workshop is not just behind the scenes. It can be part of the guest and delegate experience too.

Circular economy thinking means keeping materials in use for longer.

Across Horwood House, this includes:

• Bamboo key cards reused in guest rooms
• Bamboo door hangers for the Crisis UK opt-out scheme
• Bamboo toilet tissue
• Bulk bathroom dispensers instead of single-use toiletry bottles
• Charity-sourced furniture and event pieces
• Reused and reclaimed building materials
• Refurbished computers donated to schools
• Leftover materials made into practical equipment
• Garden waste reused for habitat-building projects
• Textile reuse through Johnsons Hotel Linen
• Reusable glass water bottles
• Woodland Trust Office Paper for office use

We also work with suppliers who take back packaging materials where possible, including chlorine suppliers, fruit and vegetable suppliers and beekeeping boxes.