Portable Space’s shipping containers have a multitude of uses and are often recycled for new purposes – from pop-up charity shops to sports storage facilities for schools.
A request last year to help the victims of Hurricane Irma which devastated homes on the Caribbean Island of Barbuda, resulted in the donation of a 20ft shipping container filled with tools and materials making the voyage from Bacton in Suffolk across the Atlantic to Barbuda.
Now several months on, the tools and materials have been used to help rebuild the islanders’ lives – and the container has a new use right in the heart of the community.
Brothers James and Jamari who were involved with the original initiative have turned the shipping container into a hire shop with tools and equipment that were left over. Both are earning a wage for opening the shop every day, funded by money raised alongside the container project.
Alice Bolton who was instrumental in orchestrating the campaign to help the islanders says: “We had a meeting and decided we had enough money to pay James and Jamari to run the container until May, looking after and maintaining the tools and loaning them out to those who need them. As a result of the care and dedication the brothers demonstrated, we knew they would be the perfect candidates for the job.
“We all understand that the tools will not last forever but with a lack of machinery on the island, all Barbudans now have the opportunity to use them for a small fee.”
“There’s a good chance that the business will evolve over time too. Jamari is a keen cycle enthusiast and already people have visited just to repair bike punctures and solve other cycle problems. James is a keen carpenter and is planning to add a shed on the side of the container to build furniture in. They have also installed a fridge in the container so it could become a favourite community spot for food and drinks too! ”
