Letchworth Garden Shed

We are working to set up and run a library of things (LOT) in Letchworth, enabling individuals, households and groups in our community to borrow more and buy less. Alongside the main operation of enabling our members to make/ clean/ watch/ sew/ build/ fix/ bake/ redecorate/ play without buying the equipment outright, the Letchworth Garden Shed will serve our town and surrounding area as a hub for a range of community-led, waste-minimising, money-saving activities (e.g. repair days, skills classes, etc). The people who will benefit the most will be, as they have been in other towns/ cities with LOTs, people living in poverty or who struggle finanically. We are all aware of the cost of living crisis and how it can act to narrow the chances available to the less well-off. Making a wide range of applicances, tools and equipment accessible to these groups will mean the associated activities and opportunities will also be available to them, regardless of financial circumstance. The feedback we've had demonstrates that this isn't the only demographic that will benefit, however. People from all walks of life are interested in the environmental impacts that can be avoided when you borrow an item you only need for a while, rather than buy it. Many people have expressed their desire to declutter their homes, and how be able to reliably borrow a hedge-trimmer, wallpaper-steamer or cake-mixer would relieve them of the need to buy and then store their own. In considering this wider view, we've come to believe that our whole community will benefit from a venue that all these groups feel is equally 'for them'. The significant number of volunteer roles entailed in running a LOT will provide opportunities for isolated individuals to be part of a friendly team, for the un- or under-employed to build their confidence.  Our goal is to make all of these different groups feel not only that the LGS is for them to use, but for them to play a part in running.