SHARE - a library of things

Aim

Help us raise money to introduce a referral scheme where we provide free memberships for people in financial difficulty.

SHARE is a ‘library of things’ - a place where you don’t buy, but borrow. It was set up by the Frome community, for the Frome community, to achieve a simple mission: to help people save money, to tackle the ‘throwaway society’, and to cultivate a more connected, more resilient community in Frome through sharing.

We are crowdfunding to expand SHARE’s impact and to enable people from all backgrounds to get the benefits that we offer. In partnership with key Frome organisations, such as Fair Frome, the YMCA, and the Job Centre, as well as with the money from this crowdfunding campaign, we will provide free memberships and borrowing to people who need access to the +1000 items at the SHARE shop.

In return for your help, we have a range of rewards that will be valuable to all existing members, those thinking of joining us, AND those who support the idea from afar.

Read on to find out more about:

1. What is SHARE
2. Why we are crowdfunding
3. More about the rewards we are offering and how to claim your reward 
4. Who we are

‘SHARE’ is a library of things in Frome. The first of its kind in the UK, we offer our members the opportunity to borrow useful items - whether it’s a gazebo for a summer garden party, a projector for a movie night, or a tool for a DIY project. All items that we have at SHARE were initially donated by people in our community.

Since SHARE started in 2015, it has provided its service to over 800 members and has hosted a variety of community events, including item repair classes, clothes swaps, and skills learning workshops. 

People can access SHARE via our two different membership options. Firstly, a pay-as-you-go membership (costing £12 per year) which requires the member to give between £1 and £5 per item borrowed. Our second option is to sign up for £3 per month, this option gives £5 spending credit in SHARE per month.

Although becoming a member of SHARE is a much cheaper alternative to a hire shop, there is still a large proportion of our community who cannot afford it or feel that it is not for them. That has been a big challenge for us and we think it is one that this crowdfunding campaign can help to tackle.

The big picture

In our society today, the people with the lowest incomes are being hit hardest. With predicted rising inflation and benefit freezes, the poorer households are expected to be £300 worse off next year. The think tank Resolution Foundation predicts that seven million children and 800,000 people seeking work will be affected most.

In Frome, we have a younger population than Somerset in general, and the proportion of residents claiming benefits is higher here, too. (Source: Frome Town Council) So the issues facing our society as a whole are particularly prevalent in our local community. 

What we can do

SHARE can give people access to things that they can’t afford and save people money, as well as making ‘sharing and borrowing’ the new ‘buying and throwing away’.

We can make SHARE available to everyone, creating greater social inclusivity which is a win-win scenario for our current members and the Frome community.

With the money that we raise through this crowdfunding campaign, we will implement a referral scheme which will provide free memberships for 150 people in need through local partner organisations. The cost is £36 per person - the same as other members pay. This also comes with £60 worth of free borrowing a year, ensuring that referred members can borrow without incurring any costs.

There are many ways to support our new initiative. Some people might just like to donate, but we also hope that others can benefit from the rewards that we are offering. In the spirit of sharing, two local coworking business hubs have also kindly offered spaces for people to work and experience a buzzing entrepreneurial atmosphere.

SUPPORTER 

£10 will get you:

• £12 shop credit for yourself that can be spent on either an annual membership for those who are not already a member, or £12 of borrowing credit for those who are members already.

SUPER SUPPORTER

£17.50 will get you:

• A limited edition SHARE shop magnet - a daily reminder, on a high-quality magnet, to save the planet and SHARE.
• £12 shop credit that can be spent on either an annual membership for those who are not already a member, or £12 of borrowing credit for those who are members already.
• A special edition SHARE shop poster of your choice, designed by a local graphic designer and printed on extra high-quality paper.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

£36 will get you:

• A year of SHARE membership and £60 worth of credit given in your name to someone in need.
• £12 shop credit for yourself that can be spent on either an annual membership for those who are not already a member, or £12 of borrowing credit for those who are members already.
• A special edition SHARE shop poster of your choice, designed by a local graphic designer and printed on extra high-quality paper.

THE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

£75 will get you:

• 50% discount on 3 hours of consulting given by the Edventure team on how to start your own community enterprise such as SHARE or the Community Fridge.
• Usual value is £150!

THE SUPERSTAR

£150 will get you:

• A Monday to Friday unlimited usage to the Edventure coworking business hub in Frome for 3 months. Get access to the desk spaces, kitchen, lounge, a mailbox registered business address, the meeting rooms, free tea & coffee, as well the chance to network with other Frome businesses and social enterprises, and more perks!
• Usual value is £300!
• https://welshmillhub.org/membership/

SHARE FOR LIFE

£300 will get you:

• A Forward Space ‘Open Space’ membership in Frome for 3 months at the Old Church School. This gives you unlimited use of the coworking space, use of meeting rooms, option of a phone line, storage space and mailbox. 
• Usual value is £450.
• http://www.theoldchurchschool.co.uk/

*All rewards must be collected from SHARE.

**All rewards must be redeemed in until the end of 2018.

***The Coworking space reward are only available to people who are not already members of the space.

We are a team of six Edventure students. Edventure is a school for community enterprise and entrepreneurship based in Frome. Our project challenge, given to us by Edventure, is to work with the SHARE’s core team to take the social enterprise to the next level of its development.

This project successfully funded on 29th November 2017