Accessing the stuff we need and want can cost – both the individual and the planet. That’s why we’re keen on sharing as a powerful way to live better, together, sustainably. Mirella Ferraz, who runs our Share Shed – A Library of Things, recently went to Bath, Oxford, Edinburgh and Stirling to learn more from some of the UK’s most inspiring sharing and reuse projects. This is her report.
The Share Shed lends people stuff they want but only use occasionally. With an inventory of over 350 items, it serves seven Devon towns, on a weekly basis, using a specially converted van. This helps people to get things done, saves them money and reduces the environmental damage from manufacturing. Over the last eight years, it has made over 7,000 loans saving people over £510,000 and over 329 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
I recently travelled up and down the UK to find out what some of the best sharing and repairing projects are doing. At the same tine, my colleague Mark Jefferys went to the FixFest in London – an international gathering of repair activists. Together, these experiences reminded us just how much is happening across the UK (and beyond!).
What We Learned On The Road
Each project I visited had its own unique strengths and challenges:
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SHARE Oxford runs from a co-working space and offers a wide range of items for loan and monthly Repair Cafés. They’ve built innovative income streams – including selling donated tech. on eBay.
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Edinburgh Tool Library, the UK’s first tool library, recently celebrated its 10th birthday. With thousands of members and a team of over 80 volunteers, they’re showing what a city-wide sharing culture can look like. They serve their members from a number of different hubs and deliver tools using e-cargo bikes.
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Stirling Reuse Hub, run by Transition Stirling, diverts around 10 tonnes of waste every month through resale, lending, upcycling, and redistribution. They partner with local artists, schools, and construction companies to maximise the value of unwanted materials.
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Bath Share & Repair recently moved to a new home and continue to thrive thanks to an amazing team of 250+ volunteers. They offer delivery and collection by cargo bike, run repairs and workshops, and provide home kits (providing essential electrical appliances to people in low-income households) through partnerships with prisons and social services.
Across these projects, I was struck by the creativity, community spirit, and sheer determination driving the sharing and repairing agenda forward. From PAT testing for a fee to collaborating with building companies and running innovative Facebook groups, each place had fresh ideas we could bring back to Devon.
What This Means for the Share Shed
At the Share Shed, we’ve always been proud of our mobile library of things – the first of its kind in the world. Travelling to different communities each week, we’ve seen first hand how sharing reduces waste, saves people money, and sparks new connections.
Learning from other projects reminds us that we’re part of something much bigger. Whether it’s exploring cargo bike deliveries, setting up a reuse shop, or partnering with initiatives like Fixy to rescue tech, there’s huge potential for us to keep growing and strengthening our impact.
And with Mark at FixFest in London, we’ve connected with others who are building a future where fixing, reusing and sharing are the norm, not the exception.
Moving Forward Together
We left these trips feeling inspired, encouraged, and excited to be part of a growing movement of sharing and repair initiatives. Together, these projects show that another way of living is possible: one based not on endless consumption, but on access, care, creativity, and community.
At NOW and through the Share Shed, we’ll keep learning, connecting and experimenting – and we look forward to sharing more updates as we put these ideas into action.
