Let's Get Bath Borrowing!

Aim

Build the variety and quality of items for people to borrow rather than buy and store. Increase access to more things for more people.

Hello! We are Share and Repair!

We run Bath Library of Things, a place you can borrow useful and fun Things without the clutter, expense or waste of buying them yourself. 

Our library has hundreds of Things for DIY, gardening, home, trips, parties and events.

Why do we need YOU? 

It's a tried and tested model, but now we need to get more people borrowing.

The way we live and amount we buy is causing an environmental crisis. But there is a better way. By sharing in our community, people get  access to more without costing the earth - or your pockets. 

In this country, we produce more electrical waste than any other country, bar one. Yet many items are only used once or rarely - the average drill is used for just 13 minutes in its life! At Bath Library of Things, our Things are used as much as 20 times a year by 20 families! 

By helping us you will be helping to reduce CO2 emissions produced from making and delivering new items, reducing the amount of product going into landfill, enabling the continuation and sharing of skills, and supporting our volunteer community. 

To get more of Bath borrowing, we want to expand the quality and quantity of our library, repair the items you give to us and include new popular items that we don't currently have. We would also like to invest in a digital screen to raise awareness and make it easier to borrow from us.

By pledging, you will help us to really make a difference to our library, our local community and beyond! We have already inspired and supported communities across the UK to start similar projects and we know our model shows new ways of getting everyone the things they need within the planet's means. 

We are Share and Repair

Share and Repair is a small but mighty charity that started 5 years ago with 1 Repair Cafe, now, an award-winning organisation with 4 main projects and 150 volunteers helping people reduce, reuse and recycle through- 

• HomeKIT providing preloved essential home items to low income households,
  

• Repair Cafes helping people to repair items rather than throwing them away

• How To workshops teaching people how to use and fix items around their home

• Bath Library of Things where we encourage people to Borrow Don't Buy.

Who is Share and Repair

We are a team of 4 people and over 150 volunteers:

Lorna Montgomery - Founder and Chair of Trustees

Esther Gardiner - Director, a new recruit of 3 weeks! Helping us achieve our goals.

Ellen Kythor - General Manager of the shop,  joined  part-time in November 2020 to support the development of shop and the Library of Things. 

Emma Carlisle - General Manager of the Shop (part-time). Started in October 2021 with responsibility for the shop and Repair Cafes.

So much has been achieved over the last 5 years and with your help, we can do even more!

It's quick and simple to borrow from our library

• Join as a Member to allow you to borrow. There are a number of membership options available:
• Browse and reserve items online. You can book out your item in advance using our calendar system. Payment is made through adding credit through a card on your account.
• Collect from our George Street Shop or have it delivered by our eco friendly Cargo bike for just £2  - just be sure to return them in the same condition by the return date on your booking.

Its EASY!

People, Community & Well being - Share and Repair exists due to our passionate volunteers. We want to support our local community by not only offering the library of things and our other projects but also by creating a happy, warm, welcoming and rewarding community for our volunteers giving them purpose and a sense of belonging. We will soon begin to work with local primary schools on how they can reduce waste and consumption with workshops and activities.

How can you help?

We want YOU to help us to increase the number of local people borrowing rather than buying. We are looking to raise £7,000 to improve the quality and range of items; raise awareness of the library of things and keep it running smoothly. 

More importantly you will be helping to reduce waste, consumption and improve the environment.

How will this benefit you?

• Save you money - borrowing will cost you far less than buying items to keep. We also will repair, PAT test and maintain items in our library to prolong their life.
• Save you time - we take the time out of researching a product before you buy it. 
• Save you space - you will no longer have to find space in your garage or shed to fit in that large item that is rarely used. Just borrow from us and we will store everything!

How Will the Money Be Used?

Repair the items you give us

• Buy large batteries and chargers for power tools
• Missing parts - bulbs, 
• Sharpening tools

Get some other popular items we don’t have

• Camping equipment
• Extendable ladder
• Fairy lights
• Multi detector
• Glitter Ball
• Recuprocating saw

Replace popular items such as our Carpet cleaner

Add more items to the ‘Try Before you Buy 

• Air Fryer
• Pasta maker
• Raclette maker

Increasing awareness and making it easier to browse our library 

• Marketing what we do to more and get a digital screen for our window showing what we are all about. 
• Purchasing a tablet for our till point making it easier for customers to browse our library

As well as reducing waste and consumption we are developing our community, developing volunteers, bringing people together and encouraging further action. All whilst having great fun!

Help us to double our library users and continue to grow our library and presence in our community.

Thank you so much for your support!

This project successfully funded on 28th June 2022