Could we build on the Swap Shop? 

Members of The Forum WhatsApp group are great at sharing information on trusted suppliers and finding new homes for many no-longer-wanted appliances on the Betchworth Swap-Shop offshoot, writes James Benn.

The very occasional request for the temporary loan of, say, a Gazebo usually gets a result too. Could we build on this? When faced with the short-term need for some tool or appliance, why not see if there’s someone in the village prepared to lend you theirs before spending money at Wickes or Homebase?  

Our village (and the Re-Betchworth charity) is too small to follow the example of Elmbridge who have a full-blown Library of Things (LOT) - a community run version of an equipment hire company, hosting a collection of household and garden kit that might only be needed by an owner once in a blue moon eg a large capacity water urn, a carpet cleaner, a log splitter, a whatever... 

Nevertheless, I’m sure there’s a plethora of these goodies hidden in garages, sheds and top shelves in other storerooms around the village - kit their owners could happily manage without for a day or two if we establish a few simple guidelines on use, liability and so on.  

If you like the idea of Re-B exploring an informal village kit loan network, do get in touch with us - we’d love to get a few people together to set this up. In the meantime, before you whizz off to Wickes, do remember to ask the question on The Forum or Betchworth Swap-Shop WhatsApp groups. You never know, someone might have just what you need and be happy to lend it to you. What's not to like?

And, of course, every new device we buy comes with a hidden environmental cost. Sharing the things we only use now and again instead cuts down on clutter, saves money and resources and is kinder to our planet. So that's got to be good for everybody!