Share Skipton Turns Two Years Old!
What a weekend! As we celebrated Share Skipton’s 2nd birthday, we were reminded once again that this project is about so much more than borrowing items or repairing broken things. It is about people, connection, kindness, and the incredible community that has grown around our Library of Things and Repair Café.
A birthday weekend to remember!
The celebrations began with another fantastic Repair Café on Saturday, and we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who made it happen. From our volunteer repairers and front-desk team to the runners, tea-makers and coordinators, every single person played a part.
At the very same time, the Library of Things was still open and running as usual. While the Repair Café was in full swing across the road, our librarians were busy welcoming borrowers, processing loans and keeping everything ticking along. Thank you for making sure Share Skipton could do both!
Then came the party… On Sunday we gathered for our 2nd Birthday Garden Party, and what a lovely afternoon it was!
We would like to thank everyone who:
* helped set up the gazebo,
* made sandwiches,
* served tea and drinks,
* brought decorations,
* played corn hole and other garden games,
* hunted down sunscreen when the Yorkshire sun made an appearance,
* helped pack everything away at the end,
* and, of course, came along to celebrate with us.
It was joyful, relaxed, and full of laughter – exactly the kind of celebration we hoped for. We also asked our volunteers what their favourite moment from the last couple of years was:
“Fiona acting as a borrower for the NYC Award video! 🤩”
“Repairing the Barber’s Shop pole!”
“The Liquorice Allsorts jumper repair and the story behind it!🌞”
“Finding out a why piece of jewellery that is being repaired is meaningful to someone!”
“People signing up as members and actually using Share Skipton Library of Things!”
“Seeing how happy taking part in Share Skipton activities makes our volunteers!🤗”
We hold volunteer thank-you events like this several times a year, so you’re more than welcome to join us and come along to the next one:
Two years of impact
As part of our birthday celebrations, we also looked back at what The Library of Things and the Repair Café have achieved together over the past two years.
Here are our latest figures:
We started with 100 items and have now grown to over 700 items
We have 742 members (very nearly 5% of the population of Skipton!)
We started with opening 2 days a week and are now open 4 days a week
Completed an incredible 3,379 loans.
13 Repair Cafés held
1,123 customers welcomed
887 successful repairs
14,204 kg of CO₂ emissions saved
2,392 kg diverted from landfill
235 refill customers
These figures will continue to grow as we continue to hold repair cafes, lend out more items, and continue to gain more members in the greater Skipton area!
More than numbers
We are incredibly proud of these statistics. Every repair represents something that did not need to be replaced. Every refill means less single-use packaging. Every item lent out keeps more out of landfill is a small win for the planet!
But the truth is, the most important part of Share Skipton cannot be measured in kilograms or spreadsheets.
It is the customer who leaves smiling because their favourite lamp works again.
It is the volunteer who discovers a new skill.
It is the conversation shared over a cup of tea while waiting for a repair.
It is the feeling of belonging that comes from being part of something positive.
Thank you
To our volunteers, customers, borrowers, donors, repairers, supporters and cheerleaders: thank you.
Share Skipton simply would not exist without you.
In just two years we have grown from an idea into a thriving community project, and that has only been possible because so many people have given their time, energy, skills and encouragement.
Here’s to everything we have achieved together, and to the many more repairs, loans, refills and community moments still to come.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Share Skipton! 💚
