News

13th November 2007

Cornish Company Set to Deliver National Campaign

A local not for profit organisation has been contracted to deliver a national awareness campaign to promote the use and benefits of washable nappies. ReZolve Kernow who run a number of waste projects in Cornwall including the award winning Cornish Real Nappy Project, have been selected to carry the national campaign forward due to their expertise and achievements in delivering one of the country’s largest and most successful regional nappy campaigns.

The national campaign, which has been delivered by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, will now be managed by a newly formed not-for-profit company and delivered by ReZolve Kernow. The campaign will offer a raft of useful services and resources for families, health professionals, Local Authorities, retailers and more.
Jon Rolls, Executive Director of ReZolve Kernow commented:

“We are all very excited about the new campaign and the opportunity to promote clear messages about the use of washable nappies and their benefits on a national scale. This is a great advert for Cornwall and our ability to influence the national agenda from such a rural location."

Ironically the exciting news of this prominent contract comes at a time of uncertainty for the Cornish Real Nappy Project as funding to maintain the project’s current services are coming to an end and sufficient ongoing support is not yet confirmed. The Cornish Real Nappy Project has been serving local parents and carers with independent advice and information since 2002. They provide a vital resource for health and child care professionals and have diverted approximately 3,500 tonnes of waste from Cornish landfill sites, saving the Local Authority in the region of £157,500. In addition local parents have made over a million pounds of household financial savings as a direct result of using washable nappies.

The Cornish Real Nappy Project works with a wide range of agencies to promote washable nappies to new parents and health professionals. The project works with foster carers and parents of severely disabled children offering tailored support and advice in choosing washable products best suited to their individual needs. In addition to offering independent advice, the project runs a number of practical services such as trial kits, allowing parents to road test washables before making a financial commitment and interest free loans which help to spread the cost of buying washable nappies or even washing machines. These services are vital to ensure that the benefits of washable nappies are available to all carers, regardless of their financial background.

One local mum said of the scheme:

“We couldn’t afford a new washing machine and had been hand-washing all our clothes for about 4 months before we realised the Nappies for All scheme could offer us the chance to borrow at 0% interest. All the nappies we've bought on the scheme have been used by both my son (now 3) and his younger sister (now 21 mths)”.

Jon Rolls of ReZolve Kernow commented on the current situation:

“We desperately want to continue to offer with the local services which are important to parents and carers across the county. We have worked hard to streamline the project to make it as sustainable as possible and are thankfully supported by a team of dedicated volunteers. Despite recent support from Cornwall County Council Family Services, CRNP still needs considerable funding to enable it to maintain its current programme and support the innovative work it has been delivering across the county.”