ORGANISING requests for bongo drums, adult-sized banana costumes or an antique bed warmer are all in a day’s work for volunteers on website Freegle.

The re-use organisation has been hitting the headlines nationally as more people give things away for free rather than throwing it away.

Emma Jones, aged 34 and from Stockton Heath, Lorraine Bradley, aged 38 and from Bruche, and Lucy Weston-Small, aged 31, from Penketh have been looking after the Warrington section of the site and said it often puts a smile on their faces.

Emma, Freegle volunteer moderator, added: “If you can't use something there's bound to be someone in Warrington who can and we provide a platform to connect up people and things.

“We have had pampas grass, a sack of fir cones and a collection of porcelain dolls on the site looking for a new home but it's not just the unusual ones that make me smile, it's the every day items that make people's lives easier.

“I recently collected a whole van load of boxes before moving house from a couple in Lymm.

“It would have taken me ages to collect that number from supermarkets and another guy collects people's old computers, refurbishes them and offers them out to people who don't have a computer.”

The idea of the site is keeping useable items out of landfill so members are unlikely to see flat screen TVs, iphones or gaming consoles.

Instead there is often requests for broken objects from people who enjoy fixing things or want to teach others how or turning it into something new with examples including an old washing machine drum becoming a lamp.

Volunteers from the group, which was established seven years ago, have a number of items they cherish including a piano, Ariel mermaid costume and bookcases.

Volunteer Lucy added: “A very generous lady once gave us a zimmer frame with wheels on and a seat which enabled my grandma to continue to go to her local shop and retain her independence."

Visit ilovefreegle.org.