If you're reading this, it's probably a foregone conclusion that you're pretty keen on sharing. Bet you're a keen reader too. Well, at Books for London, we've started a campaign to bring together both of those great things – sharing books on London's tube and train network!
Today sees the start of the first ever Waste less, Live more Week. The week brings together partners from across sectors to take part in events and activities and support the policy calls that work towards a future where people understand and actively care for one another and the environment.
On Thursday 20th September from 7pm, Streetbank will be hosting Streetbank LIVE, a free swishing, sharing & socialising get-together at the Hop Poles in Hammersmith and we'd love to see you there.
All the information and registration for your free ticket is here: http://streetbanklive.
Streetbank recently took centre-stage in a Guardian article about how to save money and we were delighted with the number of new sign-ups we had as a result.
Newsletter 23.8.12: Every now and then we come across an idea that we think will appeal to Streetbankers. We’re pretty sure the Over Datum Eetclub is one.
For two special weeks, the 70,000 Olympics Games Makers have done the UK proud, championing community spirit with unrivalled enthusiasm and a glint in their eye to boot.
Undoubtedly, they have also inspired a new generation of individuals to pick up the baton of volunteerism and run with it. So, the wonders of Streetbank aside, we’re shining this week’s spotlight on the following community gems...
For the last two months, Streetbank has been running a photo competition asking members to show us in one beautiful photo: ‘What does community mean to you?’
The shortlist is here and it’s over to you to let us know which photo you think should win. All you have to do is go to our facebook page, browse the four shortlisted pictures and put a comment beneath whichever photo you think should win. Easy? Yes, peasy.
Newsletter 12th July 2012: It’s easy to forget sometimes that there are people in our neighbourhoods who can get overlooked. Only this week it was reported that half of the UK’s older citizens – around 5 million – view the television as their main source of company.
The dominant presence of massive online retailers like Amazon can make us rather complacent about our power to obtain even the most obscure products at the click of a mouse. The seemingly infinite bounty offered by this online cornucopia offers an unprecedented opportunity to engage our most idiosyncratic passions, from Chinese opera to bee-keeping; pogo-ing to the novels of Jeffrey Archer.
But what are the consequences of this trend? Our hyper-consumerism not only leads to busier roads, bulging cupboards and annoyance with getting into the damned parcels. It stops us from considering the wealth of resources that exist in our own community: objects lying unused, skills underexploited and human kindness left untapped. You’d be surprised at what can be obtained within a few miles of your home from people you see every day.
How can we make our cities better?
Newsletter 28th June 2012: Holiday season is nearing and whether you’re airing your tent for a family camping trip, stacking up books for the beach or practising your dance moves for a festival or two, chances are you still need to organise a few vital things.
Along with a wonderful group of neighbours, you’re organising a Big Lunch. The invites are done, the food is in hand, Judy from next door is running a raffle and Brian from number 44 has agreed to be the children’s entertainer.
What do Streetbank, Move Your Money UK and the Big Lunch all have in common?
If nothing else, they are all taking part in the Festival of Transition on 20th June, coordinated by the new economics foundation (nef).
Your Square Mile is a citizens’ mutual open to anyone in the UK over the age of 16, which gives inspiration, practical advice and tools to anyone seeking to make change in their local community.
Last year YSM worked with 16 of the toughest neighbourhoods in the UK to inspire change.
Residents of Glyncoch in Wales were supported in securing the final funding needed to build a new Community Centre by crowd-sourcing. It’s a project that will transform an ex-mining community that has seen three generations of unemployment blight many families. Services range from employment advice to health services and sports and activities for all generations. See the news story here.