Who We Are
ReCreate is a social enterprise making art materials and educational supplies accessible and affordable to every sector of the community for all kinds of creative purposes. At ReCreate, we are inspiring tomorrow’s inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs by making unique and unusual open ended materials freely available at a fraction of the price of high street art shops.
We work with local and national businesses to collect unwanted and surplus items, for use in early childhood education, schools, colleges, special needs groups & community centres, and by individuals for art, craft, theatre and creative projects of all kinds. This helps local businesses produce less waste, helps our schools and communities to stretch their budgets and their imagination, and helps the environment by reducing waste and our carbon footprint.
Our Warehouse of Wonders is located on Ballymount Drive, just off the Long Mile Road and the M50. It is accessible by car or bus. Our dedicated team will be happy to show you around, advise you on products and projects and help you get the most from your membership.
What We Do
We source end of line, remaindered, surplus and unwanted materials and items with potential from local businesses. We supply these as Arts and Crafts materials and Educational Play resources for Creative Groups groups working with children, young people, the active retired and others. We also cater for Artists and Craftspeople, Art teachers and Creative facilitators, Community artists, students, hobbyists and anyone interested in creative expression or with a love for make and do.
We have a huge range of versatile, fun and safe materials including (but not only) cardboard & paper – all types & sizes, fabric & textiles, boxes, pots, bottles, foam & rubber, tubing and piping, bits, bobs, buttons and all manner of weird and wonderful colours, textures and shapes to inspire you.
Materials are imaginatively displayed in manageable quantities in the ReCreate store and we positively encourage foraging and browsing through the stores. We even have shopping trolleys available! We are passionate about bringing more play and creativity into people’s lives and we believe everyone should have access to high quality, affordable creative resources.
Because all our stock is donated or diverted from the waste process to be recreated by our members, we are making a positive impact both on our environment and on our creative community’s resource bank.
We’re aiming to re-distribute around 300 tonnes a year of materials for creative re-use.
How We Do It
ReCreate is a not for profit membership organisation which anyone can join. Membership gives you unlimited access to our “Warehouse of Wonders”. We have a creative workshop in house should you be overwhelmed by a desire to create on the spot or you can hire it out for any kind of inventive and imaginative events, Community or individual projects, children’s parties or corporate outings with a creative twist.
Our Warehouse of Wonder is chock full of inspiration right now so come visit us and see what you could recreate. We source and collect our stock (or treasure as we like to call it) from all over Ireland for free so if you are a business owner with a surplus of unused, unwanted and unloved items with potential get in touch with us. Let us help you reduce your waste bills, while helping the environment and our Arts Community. We can arrange collections on an ad hoc or on-going basis.
Who Is It for?
We have individual members, Early Childhood Services, Schools, Colleges, Community and Art Groups, Art students, Artists & Crafters, Active Retired groups and many more.
Get in touch for membership fees and options and we’ll be happy to help you get recreating. We offer best value and a range of materials you won’t find anywhere else in Ireland.
Our Board
ReCreate is a project of Early Childhood Ireland, South Dublin County Partnership, Tallaght Community Arts, Oakfield Trust and community representatives. South Dublin County Council are also represented on the Board. We are passionate about bringing more play and creativity into people’s lives.
- Teresa Heeney, CEO, Early Childhood Ireland
- Lynda Gaynor, Social Enterprise Consultant
- Elaine Sharkey, Business Development Manager, Early Childhood Ireland
- Emily Smartt, South Dublin County Partnership
- Dennis Kelly, Human Resources Consultant