It felt like a glimpse of the future we’re all trying to build. More than 800 people walked through the doors of Totnes Civic Hall, in Devon (UK), on a bright April morning — and what unfolded was one of the most joyful, generous and genuinely community-spirited days the Network of Wellbeing has ever been part of.
ShareFest is a free celebration of sharing, repairing, making and swapping, hosted by the Share Shed – A Library of Things and the Network of Wellbeing. Now in its third year in Totnes, this year’s event was bigger, bolder and more buzzing than ever — and it reminded us, in the most vivid way possible, of why this work matters.
The Moment That Said It All
When our MP, Caroline Voaden, arrived to officially open the event, we handed her a pair of loppers — borrowed, of course, from the Share Shed van parked on the High Street. With a grin and a single satisfying snip, the ribbon was cut, and ShareFest was officially under way. It was a small moment, but it captured something important. Why buy a pair of loppers you’ll use once, when you can borrow them from your community? That question sits at the heart of everything the Share Shed does — and having our MP open the day in exactly that spirit felt like a statement of something.
A Day of Fixing, Sharing and Learning
From the moment the doors opened, the Civic Hall came alive. The Repair Café drew a steady stream of visitors carrying broken appliances, tools, toys and beloved clothing — and the skilled volunteer menders got to work, fixing things that might otherwise have ended up in landfill, and sharing their knowledge with anyone who wanted to watch and learn. The clothes swap, seed and plant swap were busy throughout the day. The skillshare workshops — needle felting, darning, coil basket making, wheel weaving — filled quickly, with people of all ages sitting side by side, learning something new from a neighbour or a stranger. And outside on the High Street, the Share Shed van attracted its own kind of magic: at some point in the afternoon, a group of Morris dancers appeared and began to dance around it. Unplanned, unpredictable, and absolutely perfect.
Launching the Tech Amnesty
This year’s event also marked the public launch of something we’re incredibly proud of: our new Tech Amnesty initiative, delivered in partnership with The Fixy Project and Donate IT.
Visitors brought old laptops, phones, tablets and cables — devices that had been sitting in drawers, gathering dust, destined for landfill. By the end of the day, over 100kg of old technology had been collected. Every device will be either securely refurbished and donated to someone facing digital poverty, or responsibly recycled. That number — 100kg in a single day — tells its own story. There is so much tech sitting unused in our homes. And there are so many people who lack access to the devices that the rest of us take for granted. The Tech Amnesty is a simple, practical way to connect those two realities. We’re excited to build on this beyond ShareFest, with drop-off points continuing across South Devon.
Food, Community and The power of Paying What You Feel
No ShareFest would be complete without Food in Community, whose pay-what-you-feel café was buzzing from start to finish. Delicious cakes, coffees, teas and a hot lunch — made from top quality organic surplus — nourished body and soul throughout the day. The café is always one of the most popular spots at ShareFest, and this year was no exception.
Why It Matters
Events like ShareFest matter for reasons that go beyond the items repaired or the clothes swapped — though those things matter too. They matter because they create the conditions for something rarer and more precious: genuine human connection across difference. On Saturday, people who might never otherwise have sat together found themselves side by side at a darning workshop, or sharing a table at the café, or singing the same song. Young and old, from all different walks of life, brought together by a shared belief that things don’t have to be thrown away — whether that’s a broken toaster, an unwanted jumper, or a skill that deserves to be passed on. This is what stronger, more sustainable communities look and feel like. And this is what the Network of Wellbeing exists to help build.
Thank you
Enormous thanks go to our wonderful volunteers, who gave their time and energy so generously; to MP Caroline Voaden, Food in Community, The Fixy project, Totnes Bike Hub CIC, Transition Town Totnes, Mindful Making Totnes, Moor Imagination Collective, CAG Devon, The Wool Hub, Totnes Library, Recycle Devon, The Repair Café, Dartington, Kingsbridge Repair Cafe, Sustainable South Brent, Sustainable South Hams, Heart of the Wild, Stepping Stones Food and Wellbeing, A Letter Is Better, Totnes Climate Hub, every stall holder, every skill sharer, every volunteer and every single person who showed up.
Interested in Borrowing Rather Than Buying?
The Share Shed is South Devon’s mobile Library of Things, offering affordable access to over 350 items across seven communities. Membership is free for anyone on a low income. Find out more at www.shareshed.org.uk.
