Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex

Bexhill Unwrapped is a conduit for the businesses, local groups and charities of Bexhill to showcase what they have to offer their local community. They want to ensure that their community will enjoy and feel confident in their local providers, return to their local high street and create a vibrant and diverse economy.

Supporting local businesses and a local economy will also address the climate emergency by reducing travel, encourage the sourcing of local products and bring about a sharing of ideas that will ultimately help to improve behaviours and safeguard the future of our planet.

If we support ‘local’ we keep our communities alive, and if we don’t use it we lose it.

Sackville Road, Bexhill-on-Sea

Maker's

Fabric and wool shop
  • We sell material and wool which helps to reduce the bulk buying impact of clothing that floods the fashion market.
  • Bags and household items can also be made with our fabrics
  • Our wool is sourced in the UK
  • We put as many items as we can in paper bags.
I will collect all scraps of fabric and give them to schools, the local hospital and local clubs

Milzar's Florist

Florist
  • Zarene said that all their foliage is composted
  • We recycle all our rubbish
  • We reuse all the wrapping that the flowers come in to line out our boxes
  • Every plant sold helps to reduce our carbon footprint.
Whenever possible we will wrap goods in brown paper

Green & Elliott

Optometrists
  • We take all old spectacles back and send them on to 3rd World Countries.
  • We re-glaze glasses to reduce the purchase of new plastic frames
  • We offer reusable eye clean with free refills to reduce a patient's use of single use plastic.
We offer reusable eye clean with free refills to reduce a patient's use of single use plastic.

The Picnic Basket Cafe

Cafe
  • Rachael said we recycle all our waste and also our used oil.
  • We have paper straws and wooden stirrers for all our customers to use.
  • We are a Bexfill water point.
  • We fully support the reduction of single use plastic.
We will pledge that every person who comes to our shop with a reusable cup can have 20p off the drink of their choice.

Scope Charity Shop

Charity Shop
  • Marissa said we recycle clothes, bric-a-brac and unwanted presents
  • Our unsold clothes are moved on to other shops and if not sold they are sent to 3rd World Countries
  • Our rags are sent for recycling

We pledge to recycle all significantly broken plastic cd/video cases that are not able to be sold in the shop

Caring Community

Caring Shop
  • Jackie said we recycle all our rubbish.
  • We shred our paper and this is sent to be used as bedding for rabbits.
  • All our medical equipment is recycled according to need, and if it is not needed we have it back and sell it on to members of the Community.
  • We recycle books.
  • We are keen to help with any new initiatives that the Council adopt.
  • On a daily basis we recycle old mobility aids. Walking sticks, Zimmer frames, toilet raisers, Commodes, Wheelchairs, Tea Trolleys, bed raisers, bath aids, perching stalls, incontinence pads and pants that are surplus to requirements (unused of course) 
  • You name it, we recycle it. we don’t have the space to hold mobility scooters but we advertise them for people.
We pledge to collect all the plastic milk bottle tops to give to charity for funds via a recycling service

Westbrook Printing

Printing & Copying
  • We use Ecolabel paper that uses environmentally friendly chemicals and the company sponsor the planting of trees to compensate for paper production.
  • Our printer fusers go back for reuse.
 
All our paper is recycled.

H & H Confectioners

Confectioners
  • All our sweets are sold loose and packaged in paper bags
  • We resell our plastic sweet containers, so that they do not go for recycling
  • We are a Bexfill Water Point for the public to fill their water bottle when passing

Dreams Bed Specialist

Bed Specialists
  • All our Mattresses, bed frames and headboards are transferred to Birmingham where they are recycled.
  • The foam from the mattresses is made into biofuel at a factory that is carbon neutral.
  • 1.3 million Mattresses are saved from Landfill. 
  • We charge for taking away old Mattresses so that we are able to recycle them in an environmentally friendly way. 
  • We locally recycle all our cardboard.
For a small charge we will commit to recycling your old bed or mattress directly from your home when we deliver your new one, and recycle your item at our own specialised bed and mattress recycling centre. We disassemble your mattress and utilise every single part; springs are melted down, fibres are recycled for new upholstered items and foam can cleaned and used to make carpet underlay.
Starling Arts & Crafts
Arts Shop

We are a collective of local crafts makers who source their materials locally as much as possible.
  • Local wood
  • Recycled bottles
  • Bags made in the UK
  • Organic T shirts
  • We reuse all cellophane wrappers

Bexhill Funeral Services
Undertakers

We offer green funerals that comprise of:
  • Cardboard Coffins
  • Bamboo coffins
  • Woodland burials
  • Tree planting as a memorial
  • We offer horse drawn carriages
  • We use email as much as possible to disseminate information to families
  • We produce paper orders of service
  • We shred paper and recycle as much as we can in our shop

Marino's Fish Restaurant
Restaurant and take away
  • We have tried to source as much of fish from local providers
  • We source line caught fish rather than netted
  • We recycle oil
  • We provide paper straws and wooden forks
  • We wrap with paper and provide cardboard boxes
  • We recycle our own waste as much as possible
Emma Hellier
Hair Salon
  • We care about our environment within the shop and when purchasing our products.
  • Products come in wooden packages
  • We use tin foil as much as possible 
  • Our Mood products are Vegan and environmentally friendly
  • We do not use aerosols the shop
  • Our colour products are Vegan.

Western Road, Bexhill-on-Sea

Dorothy Merchant

Florist
  • All Plants regulate the water cycle and produce oxygen.
  • Boxes for display are all recyclable.
  • The clear wrap is biodegradable.
  • The foliage is taken away and composted.
  • All other shop waste is recycled.

Shaun M Piper Butchers

Butchers
  • It is very difficult for us to go plastic free with the meat that we sell, but we are happy to fill people's tubs and let them use their reusable wraps or bags.

Western Road Fruiterers

Fruiterers
  • Most of our green grocery is unwrapped. 
  • We have items in plastic containers, but we will reuse them and refill them for the customer. 
  • We will allow customers to fill their own tubs and bags.
  • We provide paper bags to wrap items.
  • Our waste is composted
  • Our cardboard is recycled locally.

Hair Lounge

Hair Salon
  • All our products are 100% vegan and not tested on animals. 
  • The product providers carbon compensate for any materials they use.
All our product containers are recyclable.

Seafood fresh fish

Fresh Fish
  • Most of our fish is fresh and unwrapped.
  • We use biodegradable paper to wrap our fish, but need a plastic bag to complete the wrapping
  • We are happy to fill customer's reusable plastic tubs and wrapping if they request it.
We are willing to trial a Bexhill Unwrapped initiative to supply a plastic tub to customers for their continued use, and therefore reduce our use of single use plastic bags.

Pet Express

Pet Supplies
  • We have an eco-range where the products are made from plant fibres, bamboo and rice husks. These products are degradable.
  • Animal toys are made from bamboo.
  • We have gluten free animal food, and food that organic with free range ingredients.
  • Our pet bedding is eco-friendly made from plant fibres
We have an eco-range where the products are made from plant fibres, bamboo and rice husks. These products are degradable.
Country Clothes
Clothes Shop

Jack in County Clothes says that nearly all his clothes are linen, wool, cotton or bamboo. Most of the items come in cardboard boxes, but sadly some are also wrapped in plastic. His men's accessories are mainly made of leather or metal. He recycles all the waste material from the shop.
Poppyseed Bakery
Bakery

This is a bakery in Western Road whose products are all unwrapped. They sell most of their items in paper bags and only use a plastic wrap to protect cakes from sticking to the plastic. 
They have agreed to trial a wax paper wrap to see if this works on their cakes.
Wickham Avenue, Bexhill-on-Sea
Wickham Bistro
Bistro

Sharan and Sean are recycling champions in the town. Wickham Bistro is a café in Wickham Avenue, and some of their ingredients used in their food preparation are grown on their allotment. The food waste is returned for composting. 
They reuse tubs for food, and tin cans for utensil containers on the tables. 
Paper bags are recycled in the ladies toilets for sanitary products or nappies. 
Drinks come in bottles or cans and coffee is sold in paper bags. Used coffee granules are offered to customers to use as a slug repellent in their garden.  
Food is stored in reusable tubs as much as possible. 
All waste products are recycled.

aFic
Shop

Colin says that most of his clothing is made from recycled materials. 
Canvas from boat sails in jackets 
Recycled plastic in shoes  
Organic cotton in loungewear
Natural wool in slippers
Most of his products come in cardboard boxes, he provides paper bags and he recycles all his waste. 

The Workshop
Children's Clothing Shop

This is a wonderful arts and crafts space that promotes creativity in Bexhill, and focuses on many of the environmental issues that face us all today.
They hold children's parties and sell children's handmade clothes
They also sell fabric nappy liners 
Their workshops include practicing many historic and current crafts like loom weaving, crochet and sewing

Closed Due To Covid: Yes
Offers Click and Collect: Yes
Devonshire Road, Bexhill-on-Sea
Wards Clothing Company
Clothing Shop

  • We try to source clothing that is wrapped in cardboard and paper lining. This is not always possible, but we always emphasise we would like this service provision.
  • A lot of our clothing is made from natural materials
  • Cotton, wool, bamboo and felt
  • Leather accessories
  • We provide paper bags for customers
  • Our restaurant cooks on site
  • Ingredients for the restaurant are sourced locally as much as possible
  • We recycle our own waste
We will continue to pressurise product providers to reduce their use of plastic wrappingNew paragraph

The Colonnade

UNICA COSMETICS

ORGANIC SKINCARE FOR SENSITIVE SKIN - HANDMADE JEWELLERY


OPEN DAILY FOR CLICK AND COLLECT 12 - 3PM AT SHOP 11, THE COLONNADE, BEXHILL ON SEA TN40 1FH 


  • Unica organic skincare for sensitive skin 
  • unica hand sanitizer 
  • handmade jewellery 
  • sterling silver jewellery 
  • original Marseille soaps 
  • sunglasses 
  • printed mugs 
  • prints of Bexhill 
  • clothes, hats, scarves, gloves, leggings from France. 
  • hair accessories 
  • Ceramic art
  • and more


Offers Click and Collect: Yes


Parkhurst Road

Unit4plus2 Gift Shop

Locally produced hand made products



Art and Craft based gift shop in Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex. We offer an eclectic and inspiring mix of stunning unique handmade gifts and artworks by British and local artisans. All our products are either made by us or people we have met over the last seven years that we have been trading in Bexhill and previously when we ourselves attended craft fairs across the UK. 
We love what we do and we hope it shows in the quality of the products we sell. 


Offers Click and Collect: Yes

Sidley, Bexhill-On-Sea
I am a self taught florist, who after working in the industry for 10 years, decided set up my own company The Natural Florist LTD at the start of this year.

I decided to take the route of being an "environmentally responsible" florist after realising how much waste is produced by the florist industry and wanting to take personal responsibility for my business venture.

So i started with switching to using biodegradable, compostable, recyclable products within my arrangements. I bought recycled papers, compostable cello wrap and bought a box of biodegradable oasis. I scoured the boot fairs and junk shops for second hand vessels like vases, baskets and sandwich plates to build a collection for me to use instead of using plastic trays and plastic wraps, heavily used within the florist industry.

I began using vintage vases to display bouquets in and delivering them with extra allotment grown foliage, instead of plastic cello wrap and satin ribbons instead of plastic bows.
I used baskets for funeral sprays with biodegradable foam and experimented with wicker hearts and wreaths for funerals with plants and flowers to decorate for a more organic and natural feel.
At weddings I have used recycled jars and old fashioned poison bottles collected from fairs, with a selection of Sussex grown seasonal flowers arranged individually and in bunches, these are entwined with garlands of natural greenery. 
 
These are just a few snippets of what I use and what I create. every wedding, funeral and bouquet is unique and different because no 2 finds are the same!
The brides and grooms absolutely love the idea of what I do! Their vision doesn't change, I can still deliver exactly what they want, in fact it enhances the beauty of the flowers. 

I have just been allocated a piece of land by the cooperative and am moving a poly tunnel onto it, so i can expand my growing area from my small allotment plot I currently have. I mainly use seasonal Sussex Grown Flowers within my work. I grow a certain amount and what I don't grow I buy from local nurseries, flower farms and from fellow allotmenteers! I have also been known to stop the car and forage hedges and bushes for that unusual addition!! My ethos of "grown not flown" is becoming more and more important in my business, as this helps prevent my carbon footprint and plus gives me so much more variety of plants and flowers to play with!

I aim to grow all of my flowers, foliage and herbs for all the weddings I have booked in for 2020 and beyond. My vision is to have my brides come and take a walk around and look at what is available for their weddings, knowing their "floral" footprint will be an absolute minimum.

I will be growing cut flowers for my own arrangements and to sell to the public. I will also be growing a variety of plants, specialising in Native Wild English Plants where I will be selling at local fairs etc. This will be in place at the start of the new growing season.  

Im really passionate about what I do. To be able to grow plants and arrange flowers to make people happy is an amazing job. But to do all of that AND to be able to make a positive change within the industry is my absolute dream. It can be done! I am proof that we can all make the change and provide beautiful flowers without destroying our planet. Its a no brainer!

To know you are supporting and rallying this issue on climate change is amazing! It makes me know that what I and many others are doing, is being heard and being seen and we can make the massive change that needs to happen.
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