'Library of things' Share Shed gets £250k funding

The Share Shed, which travels weekly to seven towns in Devon, offers items such as tools, gardening equipment and kitchen appliances

A "mobile library of things" that encourages people to share and repair items has been awarded more than £250,000 in National Lottery funding.

The Share Shed, which travels weekly to seven towns in Devon, offers items including tools, gardening equipment and kitchen appliances for people to borrow rather than buy.

The charity said £252,316 of lottery funding would be delivered over the next four years and would help it to create a "stronger and more connected, sharing and repairing community".

Share Shed manager Mark Jefferys said the concept had received "all sorts of amazing feedback" since launching in 2017.

Borrow, not buy

He said: "You join like a library and you pay a membership.

"Thanks to lottery funding, we now can offer free memberships for those that need it and you can borrow things and bring them back a week later, rather than buying them."

Mr Jefferys said the money would go towards projects including skill-sharing, share festivals, community lockers and outreach programmes.

He said: "We run skills on tool sharpening, bike repairs, mending clothes, and, if people have idea of other skills they'd like, we're open to suggestions.

"We're running some one day festivals - Share Fest, a festival of sharing, repairing, swapping and making.

"We're also going to pilot Share Shed lockers you can access whenever you're able to."

'Learn skills'

Mr Jefferys said the majority of items loaned out by Share Shed had been donated.

He said: "If it's something you might only need now and again, chances are we've got that on the van.

"The big things you have to reserve a few days before you need it and then I'll bring it to wherever you'd like to pick it up."

Mr Jefferys said Share Shed also wanted to use the funding to support existing repair cafes and set up new ones with a focus on intergenerational skill sharing.

He said: "Most people are desperate to learn or relearn skills.

"We've got repairers who are perhaps retired, engineers and tailors, and we want young people to learn those skills. "

Share Shed travels weekly to Totnes, Buckfastleigh, Ashburton, Dartington, South Brent, Kingsbridge and Ivybridge.