Register
Login

Tag: Bedminster

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
Bedminster

Sharing our space, sharing our resources

Bedminster opening
Photo credit: Titch Photographic

Everyone knows that we are all about sharing, here at Share Bristol, but we are about to take this to the next level!

We are delighted to announce that Share Bristol Bedminster will now be home to a Community Hub, offering a range of activities and resources for young people and adults. The Community Hub is one of the activities being delivered as part of the City Centre and High Streets Programme, funded by Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority.

This, alongside support from the Wessex Water Environment Fund, has already resulted in us being able to extend our opening hours in Bedminster – from 1st July we have been open on Mondays from 5pm to 8pm. Our next steps involve recruiting a Community Hub Coordinator to manage all the activities that will take place, and to ask local organisations to get in touch and tell us what activities they would like to deliver from the Hub.

Our vision is that everybody shares, and we hope that by hosting this Community Hub at Share Bristol Bedminster we will bring greater awareness to the Library of Things movement and encourage more people to join our community and start sharing. And of course many of the activities will involve sharing things (including some of our Things to borrow), resources, skills, ideas and general good times.

If you would like to get involved, as our new Community Hub Coordinator, as an organisation who would like to deliver activities from the Hub, or as a volunteer, then please email us at hello@sharebristol.igocode.com.

Bristol City Council logo
West of England Combined Authority
Categories
Bedminster

Share Bristol Bedminster: Opening Party

Photo credit: Titch Photographic

On Wednesday 12th June, Share Bristol welcomed the people of Bedminster, Southville and beyond to our new Library of Things on East Street, located in the St Catherine’s Place shopping precinct. The Bedminster Library of Things is now the only occupied shop in the shopping centre, as the rest of the area is being redeveloped.

Joe Sims, of BBC Bristol was invited to cut the ribbon – but jokingly insisted he would only do the deed if he could cut it with giant shears. These were provided, as we have several pairs to lend out, but it turns out they aren’t really suited to cutting thin ribbon! He finally managed to chop through it though, to huge cheers from the assembled onlookers, who then trundled into the Share Bristol Bedminster to feast on goodies donated by Essential, Loungers and Bristol Beer Factory, with extras funded by Barcan and Kirby.

Around 70 people turned out to inspect the new location, bringing much needed life to the heart of East St.

We hope that Bedminster’s Library of Things will become the first place people think of going when they need something for around the house, garden or for a trip, but also that it becomes a true hub for the community – bringing people to the area for a variety of activities centred around sharing things, resources and knowledge.

Share Bristol Bedminster already has around a couple of hundred Things available, and more are being added every week. Many people assume that Share Bristol is primarily a tool library, but actually carpet cleaners, gazebos and pressure washers are just as popular as DIY tools.

The biggest thing donated to the charity so far is a roof box for a car, whilst the smallest is probably a tiny allen key.

We would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has helped us get to this stage and get our second Library of Things location open – too many people to list, but we are grateful to you all. 

Categories
Bedminster

Share Bristol Bedminster takes first steps

On Wednesday 1st May, a group of dedicated volunteers and our Bedminster Library Manager, Lisa, opened the doors of Share Bristol Bedminster to the public for the first time. 

Whilst getting the new location fully up to speed is still a work in progress, we wanted people in south Bristol to have access to the Things they need sooner rather than later. So whilst volunteers clean, categorise, test, repair and service Thing donations at the Library of Things in East Street, people interested in joining Share Bristol can come in for a chat, sign up and start borrowing. 

The first week of lending saw six members borrow 12 Things, but only one of those members was brand new – the others have been borrowing from Share Bristol Kingswood for a while, but find that Bedminster is more convenient now it is open. 

TJ popped in to borrow a sander, and said, “I’m doing up my house and I’ve borrowed dozens of DIY tools from Share Bristol Kingswood, which has saved me so much money. Recently I wanted to borrow a sander but the type I wanted was only available at Share Bristol Bedminster on the day I needed it. So, I headed down to East Street to check out the new location and found it just as easy and convenient as usual – and it was nice to meet some different volunteers!”

For now, the Bedminster Library of Things is open on Wednesdays from 12 to 2pm and Saturdays from 10 to 2pm and has a limited number of Things to borrow. But with a grand opening planned for the middle of June, we are hopeful that over the next month we will receive many more donations of Things and many more local people signing up to be volunteers. 

If you can help with any of this, please let us know! You can find a list of Things we need here, and details of what volunteering for Share Bristol involves and how to sign up here.

The door to Share Bristol Bedminster opens into the Library of Things
Categories
Bedminster

Share Bristol has been heading south for a while….

Share Bristol Bedminster Library of Things

...but it looks like our Bedminster dreams are finally coming true

After a year in the planning, at the beginning of March we finally signed the lease for a unit in Bedminster, allowing us to finally bring the sharing experience to south Bristol. 

Probably the most common question we’ve been asked over the last few months is where the Bedminster Library of Things was going to be, but we weren’t allowed to say until everything was signed, sealed and delivered. Now we can finally reveal that the location will be 47 – 49 East St, Bedminster, BS3 4HB. To save you heading for a mapping app, this unit is more commonly known as Shoezone, at the entrance to St Catherine’s Place. 

We’re very grateful to Firmstone, the developers of the building, for granting us a lease of up to two years, the 63 people who donated to the Aviva Crowdfunder appeal last year, and Bristol City Council who have pledged a grant to help us get the unit back into a fit state. Plus all the people who have donated Things for us to lend out, and our BS3 volunteers who have been waiting patiently for this news. 

We still need more donations of Things to lend out, so please check out our wishlist, we need more volunteers to help us fix things and run lending sessions, and we need the wonderful BS3 community to support us by signing up for an annual membership, which will allow a full year of borrowing for free. 

With a fair wind behind us (by which we mean the dedication of our amazing volunteers), we plan to open Share Bristol Bedminster in April 2024, so watch this space and please help where you can! 

Categories
Bedminster

South Bristol campaign succeeds, and continues!

In 2023 we are planning to bring Share Bristol to South Bristol, opening a second library in Bedminster. But this costs money that we can’t afford from our existing membership subscriptions. Luckily, in March 2023 we secured a ‘match fund’ from Aviva Community Fund, meaning that for every pound donated, Aviva also donated a pound.  

Over the course of six weeks, 63 supporters donated just over £3,500, as did Aviva, meaning that we now have £7,000 towards the new library! We’re so grateful for everyone who helped us get to that huge number. And the publicity we gained from the campaign meant April was our busiest month ever for new memberships and borrowing. Win – win!

But there’s more good news – Aviva are allowing us to continue using the Crowdfunder and will continue to double donations until their funding pot runs out!

Annual membership of Share Bristol usually costs £50 per year, and then everything is free to borrow. However, we are offering gift certificates for a year’s membership for every £50 donated. So if you want to join the Library, you can donate £50 through the Crowdfunder page, receive a gift certificate to start your membership whenever you choose and Share Bristol will receive £100 in total! This will make a real difference to our funds, help our Kingswood library be on a firmer footing and help us open our BS3 branch. 

But one of the principles behind Share Bristol is that borrowing should be affordable for everyone, so Concession memberships for people receiving benefits are £20 for a year, and every £20 donation will also attract a £20 gift voucher – enough for a year of membership for someone on a low income, or a down payment for a Standard Membership. 

The takeaway from all of this is: if you’re going to join Share Bristol, please donate through the Crowdfunder page, as we will get double the income thanks to Aviva. 
You can find out more and donate here: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/bringsharebristoltobs3

Categories
Bedminster Kingswood

Opportunity to double your impact

Our story about Share Bristol bringing a Library of Things to South Bristol certainly generated a lot of interest last month – if you shared our posts on social media or told your friends, thank you. Now we’re offering you a unique way to join our club, and either become a Member for the first time or renew your Membership. 

We have secured a ‘match fund’ from Aviva Community Fund, meaning that for every pound you donate, Aviva will also donate a pound. But this isn’t just a donation that will help make sure that Bristol gets a library south of the river, there’s also a clear benefit for you. 

Annual membership of Share Bristol usually costs £50 per year, and then everything is free to borrow. However, we are offering gift certificates for a year’s membership for every £50 donated. So if you want to join the Library, you can donate £50 through the crowdfunder page, receive a gift certificate to start your membership whenever you choose and Share Bristol will receive £100 in total! This will make a real difference to our funds, help our Kingswood library be on a firmer footing and help us open our BS3 branch. 

But one of the principles behind Share Bristol is that borrowing should be affordable for everyone, so Concession memberships for people receiving benefits are £20 for a year, and every £20 donation will also attract a £20 gift voucher – enough for a year of membership for someone on a low income, or a down payment for a Standard Membership. 

The takeaway from all of this is: if you’re going to join Share Bristol, please donate through the Crowdfunder page, as we will get double the income thanks to Aviva. 
You can find out more and donate here: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/bringsharebristoltobs3

Categories
Bedminster Recruitment

Sharing could be heading south

We’re often approached by people who want a Library of Things in their corner of Bristol. There’s a few things that need to stack up – a Share Bristol location needs cheap or free premises, good numbers of people walking past, transport links and parking nearby, a bit of money to fund the set up of the premises, a strong local community who are happy to change their habits and borrow instead of buy, and local volunteers to run the lending sessions.

But we also need enthusiasm, time and skills from one or two people who can coordinate everything and make it happen, with help from our existing team of course.

We’re currently in talks regarding premises in East Street, Bedminster, near Southville. This looks like a really good option, with the stars aligning. However we need that person with good knowledge of the area and some time and enthusiasm to make it happen! They would be invited to join our Director team and play a role in shaping how Share Bristol develops in the future too.

Could you be that person, or maybe you know someone that fits the bill?

Our current Director team are keen and happy to help, but we are busy running the organisation and the existing library of things (as well as our day jobs!), and lack ‘boots on the ground’ knowledge of Bedminster.

We need someone who can:

  • oversee the set up of the premises – furniture, racking, decorating and so on
  • coordinate the local donation of things, so we have lots to share when we open
  • work with local organisations to make sure that everyone knows who we are, and that we are working in partnership and collaborating wherever possible
  • generate publicity and excitement in the Bedminster area
  • research and agree on the best opening times
  • lead the recruitment of volunteers to staff the library, including trusted keyholders
  • lead the drive to attract members to join the library
  • volunteer to lead lending sessions when the library opens, whilst we continue to grow the volunteer team and potentially get the funding to employ someone part-time

The existing team can help with:

  • securing the premises and associated services e.g. utilities
  • making funding applications
  • social media, website presence etc
  • health and safety requirements
  • budgets and financial management
  • sourcing things to borrow, and storing things until the library is ready
  • setting up the new library on our existing lending software
  • transferable paperwork e.g. volunteer forms, interview questions, policies and procedures
  • all the governance around running an organisation e.g. Companies House returns
  • being extra pairs of hands when needed

If you’re local to the Bedminster or Southville area and can lend a hand, then please get in touch. Even if you don’t think you can take over the coordination role or don’t want to be a Director, please get in touch and let us know what you could offer an East Street library of things, and we will be in touch in due course.

Pop in and see us in Kingswood when we are open for a chat, or email us at hello@sharebristol.igocode.com to tell us a bit about you and we will get back to you.

Or you can jump right in and apply to be a Director! As well as someone to take the lead in Bedminster, we are also looking to increase our capacity and expertise in the Director team by recruiting someone with strong marketing and engagement expertise, plus a finance lead. Pass it on! A new opportunity, for you and us? | Share Bristol – A Library of Things