Register
Login

Author: Nicki

Categories
Winterbourne

Share Bristol Winterbourne Open

This has been a collaborative project and was made possible by our partnerships with the Frome Valley Environmental Network and Winterbourne Library.

Right here in Winterbourne Library, we’re making it easier than ever to borrow all sorts of useful Things – whether it’s a power tool for a DIY job, a sewing machine for a creative project, or even a tent for your next adventure. There’s party kit, gardening tools, and so much more. The best bit? Instead of buying things you might only use once or twice, you can simply borrow them. It saves you money, frees up space at home, and helps us all do our bit for the environment.

Share Bristol Winterbourne is open Wednesdays from 5:15pm to 7pm and Saturdays from 12:45pm to 2:30pm. Being right at the heart of the community makes it easy to pop in, whether you’re picking something up or just curious about what we do.

Share Bristol Membership

It’s simple to get started: just become a member. Membership is £50 a year or just £20 if you qualify for concessions, and you can borrow from any Share Bristol location for a whole year, including Frenchay, Bedminster and Kingswood. Once you’ve signed up, there’s a whole host of handy Things waiting for you, whenever you need them.

Support us

Share Bristol Winterbourne is powered by the community, and we’d love more local people to get involved. If you’d like to meet new faces and be part of something positive, why not volunteer with us? We need people to welcome members during opening hours, keep track of items coming in and out, help update our online catalogue (don’t worry, we’ll show you how), and generally help us look after our growing collection. Or if you’re hands-on, we also need practical help testing donated items before they head back out into the community.

Donations are the lifeblood of what we do. Every item on our shelves has come from someone who wanted it to be used again. Check out our wishlist – if you have a carpet cleaner gathering dust or an unused set of chisels, your donation could make all the difference for one of our members.

At its heart, Share Bristol Winterbourne is about helping each other out: saving money, saving space at home, and cutting down on waste. If that sounds like something you want to be part of, pop in during our opening times or browse the website to find out more.

Let’s build something brilliant together!

Categories
Frenchay

Boosting Bristol businesses: Share Bristol’s Business Support Programme

Exciting news for budding entrepreneurs and small businesses in Bristol. Share Bristol recently launched its FREE business support programme at the Bedminster Library of Things. It was an inspiring event that brought together a dozen local entrepreneurs and small business owners, all buzzing with fresh ideas and renewed confidence for their ventures.

What’s On Offer?

Share Bristol Bedminster for Business is run in partnership with Bristol Inclusive and Sustainable Business & Enterprise Support (BrisBES). Here’s what you can expect if you sign up:

  • Free Advice: Get guidance tailored to your business needs.
  • Workshops & Courses: Learn essential skills to help your business thrive.
  • Coaching & Training: Receive up to 10 hours of one-on-one support from experienced advisors.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with other local businesses and share insights.
  • Grants Available: Explore funding options to kickstart or grow your venture.
  • Free Share Bristol Membership for the first 130 businesses to sign up via Share Bristol.

This exciting programme aims to inspire and support start-ups, as well as help existing businesses expand.   Thanks to funding from the Community Connectors Grant by the West of England Combined Authority and Bristol City Council, it’s all free for you!

Personalised Support for Every Business

At the launch, everyone enjoyed a 30-minute individual session with a BrisBES advisor. Participants discussed a variety of businesses, from acupuncture and yoga to catering, upcycled furniture, and golf accessories.  Moving forward each business can look forward to up to 10 hours of individual support as well as access to all of BrisBES’s other resources.

Beth from South Bristol shared her experience:

“The advice from BrisBES was really helpful – it gave me both useful information and greater confidence about being brave enough to set up my own business. I’ve already signed up for some of the other sessions.”

What’s Next?

The Bedminster for Business programme continues throughout 2025 with a packed schedule of free workshops covering vital topics like:

  • Branding
  • Marketing 
  • Social Media 
  • Work/Life Balance

Mark your calendars for our next session—Free Business Support introduction session on Wednesday September 3rd.  Bookings are open now!

Claim your free Share Bristol Membership and sign up for sessions

The first 130 people to register will enjoy a free one-year membership at Bristol’s three Libraries of Things! To sign up and to book onto sessions, just head to our Share Bristol Bedminster for Business page for more info at Bedminster Business Support – Share Bristol – A Library of Things

If you have a business idea, are considering a side-hustle, or you’re already trading and want to level up your game, we want to hear from you! Either sign up or reach out to Ian Hembrow at 07740 860942 or bedminsterhub@sharebristol.org.uk for more information..

Let’s work together to inspire change and grow our vibrant community!

Categories
Frenchay

4 years of sharing in Bristol

Celebrating the 4 years since Share Bristol opened Bristol’s first Library of Things

Share Bristol opened our Kingswood Library of Things mid 2021. Four years later we have three Library of Things locations, over 1,000 members, over 1,800 Things available to borrow and we’ve had over 10,000 borrows! All this was made possible by our wonderful borrowing community and our dedicated team of volunteers, staff and trustees with over 6,000 hours of volunteer time going into maintaining our Things, looking after our members and generally keeping everything running smoothly.

Key milestones from our first 4 years include becoming a registered charity in November 2023, opening our second location in Bedminster in May 2024 and opening our third on UWE’s Frenchay campus in February 2025.

Why is borrowing so important?

  1. It’s better for the planet. Manufacturing new items has a huge carbon impact and disposing of items can also have a whole host of negative environmental impacts. By borrowing the Things you need from a Library of Things like Share Bristol instead of buying your own, you’re helping to cut down on those emissions.
  2. It saves space in your home. Many of us don’t have lofts, sheds and garages where we can store our own DIY and gardening tools, camping equipment and other occasionally used Things. Borrowing from a Library of Things means you have access to the Things you need when you need them without needing to store them or maintain them in the meantime.
  3. It saves money. A lot of the Things you can borrow from Share Bristol are expensive to buy new. At Share Bristol we have a one off annual membership fee that includes as much borrowing as you like throughout the year with no loan fees. Although our standard membership price is £50 we do also offer a £20 concessionary rate to make sure we’re as accessible as possible. For those that can afford to, we also have an £80 supporter membership to support us to continue doing what we do best.

If you’re a fan of the numbers, take a look at these graphs to see how far we’ve come over the past 4 years…