“We were looking for something a little bit different than just running a sale in celebration of National Picnic Day when we came up with the idea of the Rug swap for Rosies” said twenty-two-year-old Ella Sendall, Ecommerce and Digital Marketing Specialist at The Somewhere Co.  

“We were also looking for some way to involve our community, getting people comfortable coming to events again and taking advantage of the fun things we do in store,” she continued.  

“It was really great to be able to include our Melbourne and Karrinyup retail stores and do something good for others,” Campaign Specialist Lauren Maher added. From Saturday August 5 to Monday August 7, The Somewhere Co. retail locations encouraged their community to bring in their pre-loved picnic rug and swap it for one of their brand-new ones in support of Rosies – Friends on the Street.  

Ella who has been volunteering with Rosies Brisbane City branch since January 2022, felt that these pre-loved rugs would be a source of comfort for patrons. “We’ve always got plenty of beanies, socks and scarves to hand out on outreach, but we are often limited in the number of blankets and swags that we can provide. I thought the rugs would be useful for patrons as they have the waterproof lining on the back to help keep them warm and dry,” Ella said.  

“Textile waste is a big consideration for us when we explore these types of campaigns, so it was great to find a suitable use for the handed in items at an organisation that means so much to me and to the people that use the service,” she continued.  

“We were very surprised about the quality of items that people brought into swap, some showing up with rugs that still had tags on them. It was nice to see. Our community across socials and instore were really excited to get behind the campaign,” Lauren said.  

“I think sometimes it can be hard to justify buying a luxury picnic rug for yourself on a whim but when you can bring your rug from the cupboard and as long as it’s in good condition swap it for a bright, beautiful new one and it’s going to help someone in need. What a great opportunity,” she said.  

Over the 3-day campaign more than 100 rugs were swapped with final tallies still waiting to come in. “We are happy with the result, and it was really nice for me to get to talk about Rosies so much with my team. I love volunteering and catching up with our patrons, so it was great to share that,” Ella said.  

“I love Rosies so much and we were so happy to shout from the rooftops about all the amazing work that the volunteers do and all the beautiful complexities of Rosies. People know about Vinnies; they know about the Salvos, but they don’t really understand Rosies. It’s not about the tea and the noodles, it’s about the genuine connection shared with another person,” she continued.  

“I’m excited to wrangle some of my colleagues to join me on outreach and experience what it’s like, it will be great for us all to see these rugs put to good use,” Ella said.  

Rosies is so grateful for the support of The Somewhere Co, their community, their staff and especially Ella.

If you have an idea that you would like to bring to life in your workplace, friendship group or community organisation please contact Lacee on [email protected] so that we can help.