Our Story - Seagulls Reuse Paint

Hello, we’re Seagulls

Based in our home town of Leeds, we are a nationally recognised community enterprise.

We seek to improve the environment through the recycling and reuse of paint materials. Alongside the creation of work for disadvantaged people and groups; in addition to selling low-cost high-quality paint products to the local community.

With people and the environment at our core of our business, we are well placed to educate people. For example, teaching people the importance of reusing and recycling unwanted household materials.

We have built a unique and creative local enterprise whilst thinking outside of the box, both in our approach to business and people.

As a result, we have now acquired a national reputation as the leading Social Enterprise in paint reuse (we even won Social Enterprise of the Year in 2017).

Watch the award-winning short film by Ben G.Brown

We’re all about the people

Volunteering underpins everything we do at Seagulls. We developed and established Seagulls from our founders, Cat and Kate’s voluntary work on a local project. Seagulls grew from a shared passion for social justice and green ideals.

Our staff team is made up of people who began as volunteers with Seagulls. Many, after a long time, still volunteer with us. This wealth of experience guarantees a friendly and supportive atmosphere where volunteers flourish.

People volunteer at Seagulls from varied backgrounds, for many different reasons. We provide a safe, kind and supportive environment for people to build confidence and learn new skills. Our volunteer programme, We Grow People is funded by The Henry Smith Foundation. In short, whatever you do with us, you are part of the Seagulls family.

How to Volunteer at Seagulls

We take referrals from support agencies or you can contact us directly. Seagulls is a messy (and cold in winter) place to work, so we encourage people to have a trial period, before committing to a placement.

It is very simple to become a volunteer, just give us a call (0113 246 7510) or send us a message below.

When we have volunteering places available we will invite you to visit. Taking a few details and giving you some information about Seagulls. You’ll then be introduced to our staff and volunteer team, whilst we arrange a suitable start day.

If the referral is from a support agency we may ask for a face risk assessment.

We reimburse travel expenses and provide lunch, with our volunteering days being Monday-Friday 10-3.

Speak to us about volunteering