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Introducing Streetbank Live!

This time last year, our friends Taz and Anna from the Nehemiah Foundation felt that many communities around the country, including their own, seemed to have lost their community spirit. They felt it was time to break down those barriers and create a bright, caring and sharing community for the benefit of all.

 

With their sights fixed on this dream, they partnered with us here at Streetbank to promote neighbourhood sharing in Burnley and Leicester. Recognising our collective potential, the Tudor Trust have granted us some joint funding to help achieve this goal.

The introduction of Streetbank in Burnley and Leicester has proven difficult at times. Lack of trust and the desire to keep yourself to yourself in some areas has made it not so easy to get lots of people signing up and sharing on Streetbank.

In light of these difficulties, some research and brainstorming was called for.  Taz and Anna got talking to as many people as they could, including the women’s group in Burnley – to get their thoughts on what might work.  It turned out the group were up for sharing things they no longer needed - and they liked the idea of sharing knowledge and skills with each other – like basic computer skills, sewing, recipe ideas etc… in fact they do a bit of that already. 

The lightbulb moment came when they realised that  they needed to do something totally offline to begin with,  something not on their doorsteps but on neutral ground – something that introduces the ideas of Streetbank, but with just people and no website involved.

And so ‘Streetbank Live!’ was born. 

Simple sharing events will be organised in Burnley and Leicester in the coming months.  They will allow locals to meet at a local venue, offer things they don’t want anymore, and pick up something they do fancy in exchange.  The skills of one or two locals will also be shared at the event – all over a nice cup of tea.

Do you like the sound of Streetbank Live!?  Would something similar work near you?  Comments below please!