David Lloyd
Logistics and Catalogue Production Manager, In Kind Direct, Responsible Business
I’m David and this is how, and why, I came to work at In Kind Direct.
After a brief stint working at Chester Zoo, I began to divide my time between a series of misguided and, frankly, foolish attempts at conquering the pop charts and working in warehousing; my instruments of choice being guitar and fork-lift truck respectively.
Having failed to secure that all-elusive recording contract by the end of what has come to be known as ‘The Empty Rooms Tour’, I decided to hang up my plectrum, along with the keys to the fork-lift, and head for London and a degree course in Sociology. After graduating with first class honours I was somewhat dismayed to find that the world wasn’t exactly crying out for social theorists.
Fortunately, I chanced upon In Kind Direct in February 2002. The thing that made me really want to join was its simple concept. What an idea: stopping perfectly good products from going into landfill and, instead, distributing them to charities where they really can have a massive impact.
In Kind Direct may not tug at the heartstrings in the way some charities do, but the number and range of charities we support means that we help make a difference in so many areas by providing the vital link between the people who produce surplus goods and the people who so desperately need them. There are many inspirational stories in the charity sector and for me In Kind Direct is all about helping charities to create these stories and to genuinely improve the lives of those they serve.
Essentially, my role as Logistics and Catalogue Production Manager means that I organise getting surplus goods from our donor companies to the people who need them most, so perhaps those years as a warehouseman weren’t a waste of time after all.
Now if anyone needs a singer-songwriter, there’s no truth in the rumour that my songs make Leonard Cohen sound like The Laughing Policeman and I am cheap!
