Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, committed to promoting sustainable community initiatives, is proud to highlight the success and impact of one of its grant recipients, Letchworth Garden Shed (LGS). Established in 2022 with a grant of £25,900, LGS offers a pioneering model for borrowing equipment, fostering a culture of repair and reuse, and strengthening community bonds in Letchworth and surrounding areas.
Letchworth Garden Shed (LGS) is a community project that provides residents with access to a library of equipment for a nominal membership fee. Located on Leys Avenue, LGS serves as a hub for borrowing tools and everyday items, encouraging residents to borrow rather than buy, thus promoting environmental sustainability and economic savings and embedding Letchworth as an environmentally friendly town.
What do they offer?
- Library of Equipment: Residents can borrow various items, including gardening tools, household appliances, and recreational equipment, for a small fee. This not only reduces individual expenses but also promotes resource sharing.
- Repairers Workshop: LGS hosts workshops where residents can bring in household items for repair, fostering a culture of fixing rather than discarding.
- Skills Workshops: These workshops empower residents with the skills to repair their own items, enhancing self-sufficiency and reducing waste.
- Community Events: LGS organises events to raise awareness about sustainable practices and bring the community together.
Since its inception, LGS has significantly contributed to the community by:
- Promoting Sustainability: By encouraging borrowing and repairing, LGS has reduced the need for new purchases, decreasing the community's carbon footprint.
- Building Community: LGS has become a community focal point, bringing people together and fostering a spirit of cooperation and mutual support.
- Economic Benefits: The low-cost membership model and affordable borrowing fees have provided financial relief to residents, especially during economically challenging times. They have created partnerships with the main local housing associations to provide pre-paid memberships for their residents, and offer a 'giving tree', where anyone for whom the £10 joining fee is a barrier can come and start a donated membership, no questions asked.
- Educational Opportunities: Skills workshops have equipped residents with valuable knowledge, enabling them to repair and maintain their belongings independently.
What does the community of Letchworth think?
Residents have expressed their appreciation for LGS, highlighting the accessibility of the service and the positive impact on their lives. The initiative has received interest from neighbouring towns such as St Albans and Hitchin, indicating a potential for expansion and replication of the model.
Naomi Allen, a Letchworth resident spoke to us about her experience at the Letchworth Garden Shed. She said "I have come to collect a folding table, gazebo and bubble machine today, for my son’s birthday party this weekend. It’s absolutely fabulous. I have borrowed from here before. The team is really friendly."
What is next for LGS?
LGS aims to further develop its services and strengthen partnerships with other community initiatives with Cool Cats Club, David's Book Store, Up on Downs and Cloth Bums. Potential collaborative projects include skill-sharing sessions and assembling furniture for households in crisis, leveraging the combined strengths of these initiatives to address local challenges.
How to get involved and support?
LGS invites residents to become members for just £10 per year, granting access to a wide range of lendable items. Members can reserve items online, pick them up during open hours, use them responsibly, and return them for others to enjoy.
LGS also relies on the goodwill of volunteers to run its operations. Opportunities include working in the shop, maintaining stock, and engaging with the community. Volunteering at LGS is a rewarding experience that contributes to the project's sustainability and community impact.
Residents and businesses can support LGS through donations of items, financial contributions, or volunteering their time and expertise. Every contribution helps maintain and expand this valuable community resource. 95% of the current stock is donated items from the community and local businesses.
Letchworth Garden Shed exemplifies how community-driven initiatives, supported by grants from organisations like the Letchworth Heritage Foundation, can create significant social, economic, and environmental benefits. By fostering a culture of borrowing, repairing, and reusing, LGS is not only addressing immediate community needs but also paving the way for a more sustainable and cooperative future.
For more information on how to become a member, volunteer, or support the Letchworth Garden Shed, please visit our website or contact us directly. Together, we can continue to build a stronger, more sustainable community.
Are you thinking of making an application?
Grant applications are usually completed online and then proposed to the grants committee who meet regularly to discuss the details and viability of each application.
The Grants committee meet four weeks after each deadline, and we accept grants applications any time during the year. Potential applicants are advised to visit https://www.letchworth.com/grants before the respective deadline.
Please be advised through our wider grants program, we are working closely with schools around mental health programs. However, if you are looking to do something in the community, based on young people’s mental health, please contact Alastair.stewart@letchworth.com or call 07714 521567 for an initial chat to discuss.
