[Share and Repair CEO, Ruth Lambert, with some of the volunteers, at the lending lockers]
I am hearing that the local charity Share and Repair has launched the first lending lockers for a Library of Things in the South West!
Through a partnership with Curo and a successful Green Big Give campaign earlier in the year, Share and Repair have been able to install a bank of lockers at the popular Mulberry Park Hub in Combe Down.
Based on the first floor, these lockers allow locals to borrow items when the Hub is open. Previously, Library members had needed to visit the charity’s Lower Bristol Road Hub to borrow items, but the new self-service lockers allow easier borrowing for those living south of Bath, without the need to come into the city centre.
A Library of Things allows people to borrow instead of buy infrequently used items in a similar way to a traditional book library. Share and Repair have picked their 23 most popular items for the locker bank, and these can be booked online via their website.
Simply sign up as a member, choosing either a paid membership, which allows you to access free loans, or a pay-as-you-go membership, where you pay a small amount each time you borrow an item.
Once you are a member, you can go online and browse the items and reserve them for the date you wish to pick them up. You will then be emailed a code, which you enter into the locker when you arrive. This automatically opens the locker door, allowing you to remove your item. This process is repeated when you return the item to the locker after use.
Whether you’d like to steam clean your carpets, put up a shelf, pressure wash your drive or borrow some glasses for a party, there are plenty of useful items inside the lockers which you can borrow for a fraction of the purchase price if you bought them new. Share and Repair’s volunteer team will be keeping an eye on the items to ensure they remain in great condition and ready to go! Why not check out the range of items available here.
Ruth Lambert, Share and Repair’s CEO, said, “We are very excited to be launching these lockers in the run-up to Christmas. We know how expensive this time of year can be for people, and by borrowing items from our lockers instead of buying them, people can save themselves some money and space over Christmas! “
Share and Repair are incredibly grateful to Curo for their support in hosting the lockers and for helping to get this new project off the ground. They have also been supported through sponsorship from Bath and West Community Energy, Cross Manufacturing and Rotork.
Share and Repair aims to provide the opportunities and inspiration locally to make it simple to share and repair, move away from buying new or throwing things away, so we can have a community where we all share more and reduce waste. Find out more about Share and Repair and how to get involved on their website here.
