The Great British Box Off was our way of giving back. 12 months prior to the competition we’d been in the thick of lockdowns and restrictions, and following a particularly difficult festive period, every step forward felt like two steps back. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and we wanted to make sure there was something great waiting for us when we got there.
And so, it’s with all the confetti and fanfare that we announced Emma from Hereford as the winner of The Great British Box Off!
We had so many incredible entries, and while it was a tough choice, Emma’s vision for one of our storage units ticked all the boxes for us and we knew the difference having this facility would make for her and her budding small business.
The mission of the competition was this: to let us know how you’d use one of our storage containers to be in with a chance of receiving 6 months of free storage and £500 towards the container contents.
Without further ado, let’s meet Emma and learn all about her winning entry…
About Emma
“My name is Emma, I’m 31 years old and my life pretty much revolves around animals. I have some quite unusual pets and I also work at a local farm as a Calf rearer. This takes up most of my time but I also love making things, especially when I’ve been able to source all the materials for free and turn waste items into something cool!”
The Vision
“I am passionate about reducing landfill waste: I wanted to turn a container into my dream workshop for creating and storing the artwork and household items that I create out of waste and future landfill!
“The pandemic hadn’t been too kind to me as someone who’s self-employed, and it hit me hard financially. I was having a really quiet spell at the farm and saw the container as the push I needed to realise my dream of turning junk into fabulous items that I can hopefully sell and begin a small business with.
“At the time of entering the competition, I’d been weaving baskets from used bailing twine and creating stools and shelving from used copper pipe, pallet wood and cable reels. I had also always fancied having a go at mig welding but could never shell out on a welder, so I thought I could use the prize money to make this happen. But I had so many ideas, and knew that having this dedicated workshop space would help make my dreams come true.”
From Landfill to a Full Container
“Since winning the competition, I’ve suddenly become really busy again at the farm, so although things are moving slower than anticipated, I hope to have some products ready by mid Autumn so that I can catch the Christmas gift market. I have already been designing a logo and planning things out for this – all I need now is more free time!
“One of the first projects I took on was a lamp I wanted to make for my mum from oil drums.”
“Thanks to the prize money, I was able to purchase more tools, equipment AND the welder I wanted, which has been so helpful and made it possible to push myself and make more ambitious things.”
“Having the container for projects like this has been great because I have the space to store all my tools and craft items without having to worry about packing everything away at the end of the day like I’d normally do at home. This extra time also means I’m so much more productive.
“The site is also really close by, so if I ever have even a spare hour I can nip down to my container to work on some bits and everything’s already laid out and ready to go!
“Most recently I have been making a lot of items using spent shotgun cartridges, which I see becoming my main focus.”
Working with Beyond Storage
“The site is really nice and in a great location for me, and Stuart is really friendly! The unit is nicely insulated and it all seems very secure with big padlocks and registration plate recognition to get into the site. I feel like my stuff is safe there.
“I’d totally recommend one of these units to anyone with a small craft business or even for those who craft for fun. It’s great having a little craft space getaway!”
A huge thank you to Emma for sharing her winning entry for us and giving us a glimpse into the incredible work she does that we’re so proud to support.
Self-storage can be the answer to not only creating more space during important life events, but providing the mental space we need to improve our homes, support our lifestyles and explore our interests – and Emma is a testament to that!
We’re incredibly excited to see where this journey takes her. We’ll check back in with Emma in a few months time to see how she’s getting on with the unit, branding her small business and her plans for catching the Christmas gift market.
If you’d like to hear more about Emma’s venture and upcoming competitions, you can sign up to our mailing list on the right hand-side of this blog post.
Feeling inspired? Get in touch to discuss your ideas with a friendly member of our team, or alternatively you can try our online estimator.
Until next time!