What a first week of borrowing in Easton!
After months of planning, fundraising and getting everything ready, we're delighted to have opened the doors of our newest branch on Chelsea Road and welcomed our first borrowers.
There was a real buzz of excitement at our launch event, and it was wonderful to see so many people from the local community coming along to find out more about Share Bristol, explore the Things available to borrow and celebrate the opening with us.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the launch such a success – from the volunteers and supporters who helped get the branch ready, to our partners and everyone who came along to show their support. It was fantastic to feel such enthusiasm for bringing a sharing community to Easton.
From sledgehammers to thermal imaging cameras!
Easton's first borrower, Dom, picks up a sledgehammer for a DIY project
We've already welcomed our first borrowers, and our very first Thing to leave the shelves was a sledgehammer!
Other early borrows have included a hammer drill, a jigsaw and even a thermal imaging camera – a brilliant snapshot of the variety of useful equipment available to our members.
It's a great example of what Share Bristol is all about: having access to the tools and equipment you need, without having to buy something that might spend most of its life gathering dust in a cupboard or shed.
We can't wait to see what gets borrowed next!
Easton on the airwaves
The excitement around our new branch has been spreading beyond Chelsea Road too. On opening day, Share Bristol was featured on Joe Sims' Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Bristol, giving us the opportunity to tell even more people about what we do and why we're so excited to be part of the Easton community.
Missed the interview? Catch up here!
Listen to our main interview at 1:36:45
We were also delighted to see our opening covered by Bristol24/7, helping spread the word about our newest location and the benefits of borrowing rather than buying.
Read the Bristol24/7 article about our Easton launch.
A local resource for the community
Easton is now home to the fifth Share Bristol branch, joining our established locations in Bedminster, Kingswood, Frenchay and Winterbourne.
Our aim is simple: to make borrowing as easy as buying. From DIY and gardening equipment to kitchen gadgets, camping gear and party essentials, our members can access hundreds of useful Things without the expense, storage or environmental impact of buying everything themselves.
Local member Polly, who lives in Easton, explains why having a Share Bristol branch on her doorstep is such a welcome addition:
“I recently became a member of Share Bristol when I heard about them getting an Easton Branch. As I live in Easton I don’t have heaps of storage space yet I’m constantly needing to fix/do up bits around my house or build something for my allotment so having a whole catalogue of tools I can borrow for no extra charge than my membership is absolutely brilliant.”
“I couldn’t have afforded to buy all the tools I need and this way I don’t have to store tools I’ll use infrequently so it’s much more sustainable. Plus it’s nice to be sharing Things with your neighbours.”
“Recently we hosted a street party and were able to borrow high quality sound equipment, gazebos and a popcorn maker which was instrumental to the success of the street party.”
– Polly, Share Bristol member, Easton
We're particularly excited to make borrowing more accessible for people living in Easton and the surrounding neighbourhoods, helping more people save money, reduce waste and make the most of the things we already have.
Come and see us!
If you haven't visited us yet, we'd love to welcome you to our new Easton branch at Spaceworks, The Old Co-Op on Chelsea Road.
Whether you're planning a DIY project, getting ready to host a party, tackling some jobs in the garden or simply curious about what you could borrow, there's plenty to discover.
Membership starts at £20 for low-income concessions or students, and £50 for standard membership, giving you access to our collection of Things across Share Bristol.
Here's to a brilliant first week... and many more to come!
Browse our catalogue and become a member at things.sharebristol.org.uk.
With thanks to our funders
A huge thank you to everyone who has donated to the project – if you’d like to support our Easton site, there’s still time to contribute to our Crowdfunder here.
The new Easton branch has also been supported by funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, for which we are extremely grateful.
