Grassroots Sharing: Saving Money & The Planet

Aim

We run a library of things, a repair project & free shops/swop shops. We lend, and we mend, saving money and building community.

Who are we?

We are Umbrella Sussex, a Community Interest Company with charitable aims  we are 100% community run- no staff, all volunteers. 

Our big projects are Hastings Library of Things (lending) and Make and Mend Bexhill and Beyond (mending).

Our Library lends things, wheelchairs, DIY tools, party equipment, kids fancy dress

Our Make and Mend project has made draft excluders, handwarmers, reusable sandwich wraps and mended sewing machines, irons and glasses. It hosts a knitting and craft social group and has taught a lot of people how to mend their clothes

About 3 times a year we host a big Free Shop and Cafe. Free "Shops" let people share what they no longer need with people who do need things- clothes, school uniforms, kids toys, over a cuppa and a slice of cake

Next year we are going to add a Beach Library of Things -lending buckets and spades and sunshades, and giving out rubbish bags

Impact

We save people £1050-£2400 a month  every month by lending them things so they don't need to buy, and fixing things so they can keep their things for longer.

• Adam used our sewing machine saving the cost of a new machine (£150), and used it to handmade bags and cushion covers, which he sells at craft fairs. His business is going well and he has almost set aside enough to buy his own machine.
• Kate got a new arm on her old glasses, saving her £200 it would have cost to buy a new pair.

But, it's not just money- 

• Sarah borrowed the wheelchair to help get her Granddad out and about after his knee op. 
• The Ross family borrowed a tent and sleeping bags to have their first family holiday in 5 years.

Plus, we've redistributed 800 items of clothing and given away 300 sewing kits and haberdashery bits and bobs to help people fix their own things. 

Our projects are open to everyone, we don't ask lots of questions- we just help.

We think when you put conditions on things it stops people who need help from getting it.  Pus, we want to build up our community, we are part of it, and we think sharing (skills, things, time) is the way to do that.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Equity

Our projects are all about people and the "Sharing Economy". When people have a chance to help each other- they do, and, our projects give people that chance. 

• All our "things" are donated by members of the community. The replacement value of our donated things is over £15000.

Environment

We stop things going to landfill by fixing them and we stop people having to buy things by letting them borrow instead. According to London Library of Things the average drill is used for 13 minutes in it's lifetime. Ours are used every week!

Economic

We help people keep money in their pockets and to earn money too!

• Our carpet cleaner and steam cleaners are very popular with renters to get their places spic and span- and get their renters deposits back
• Our folding tables have been used at many a craft fair while people try out new micro enterprises.

How we’ll spend the money raised

We run on volunteers, (We have no paid staff), who run on tea. This Crowdfunder will keep us in rent (and teabags) so we can keep the doors open for another year.

Help us help each other with library of things- lending, make and mend- mending, "free shops" so you can share your things with people who can use them..,

In Summer 2024 we plan to launch a mobile "Beach Library" of Things- lending buckets and spades and giving out rubbish bags to help keep our beaches free of plastic waste.

In Jan/Feb 2024 we plan to run an electronic waste project, fixing old smart phones and giving them to people to use, give data, and training, to cut down on electronic waste and alleviate social exclusion caused by data poverty

This project successfully funded on 13th December 2023