Time Bank Plus groups and activities provide a good opportunity for skills development and confidence building as well as social contact. You can 'earn' time credits by volunteering with a Time Bank Plus group or 'spend' time credits by attending a group or activity of your choice.
Groups and activities we are currently involved with include:
GARDENING & OUTDOOR:
- Sustainable Gardening - a weekly gardening group on Tuesday mornings 10.00-12.30, offering basic garden maintenance to local Time Bank members. Jennifer, the team leader, co-ordinates the work and provides training and supervision to volunteers
- Allotment - a community allotment where participants have a share of the produce
- FeelGood walks - short 'health walks' in SW Bath on Tuesdays at 12.30-13.30 (1-2 miles)
CLASSES:
- Guitar - a guitar group suitable for beginners, which takes place in Twerton on Thursday mornings 10.30-12.00
- Creative Writing - an online group for both beginners and more experienced writers which meets on Thursday mornings 10.30-11.30
SOCIAL / CREATIVE:
- Twerton Lunch Club - weekly lunch club and activities every Wednesday lunchtime 11.30-14.00
FOOD CO-OP:
- a fortnightly food co-op on Wednesdays, supplying fresh, locally grown vegetables
BORROW IT:
- Our Library of Things such as gardening equipment, DIY tools, catering items, home maintenance equipment, camping gear and equipment for events, which can be borrowed free of charge
OTHER:
- From time to time we offer cycle maintenance, cookery classes, IT advice & support, sewing workshops, photography, litter picking, language exchange and other groups, depending on the skills and interests of our members. If you are interested in either attending or leading a group, please contact us.
EXCHANGES
The exchange of time and services with other people in the local area is the essence of timebanking. No money changes hands and everything is done in the spirit of goodwill. Here are some of the most common services which are requested or offered by our members:
- Gardening help
- Giving lifts
- IT support & advice
- Housework or cleaning
- Language help (English or a foreign language)
- Help with CV's or interview skills
- Sewing jobs
- Cooking or baking
- Haircuts
- Companionship
- Office skills
- Literacy help
- Complementary therapies
- Moving or lifting
- De-cluttering
- Bike maintenance
Our Members Say...
Iona has been offering English language help to Francesco, who is from Spain. In return, he has helped her with practical jobs in the home and garden. (Please note it is not necessary to give and receive an exchange with the same person).
Francesco and I spent three and a half hours during last week... Francesco wants (to understand) local accents, which he finds incomprehensible ... we all did our best. Today we are concentrating on interview skills as he has to go to London tomorrow. He is going to report the hour he spent on the shed and perhaps the half hour or so he spent hoovering my lounge. He did a thorough job, moving the furniture, etc while Nathan washed the kitchen floor ...
"I suffer from ME and fibromyalgia, so am fairly housebound. I've been involved with Time Bank for 4 years, running two Knit & Natter groups in local sheltered housing. It's improved my confidence tremendously and I've made a lot of new friends. Both groups enjoy the Knit & Natter and very much look forward to it and enjoy the fact that they're making things that are going to be used in the community. In return, several of them have had help with their gardens, or with escorting to appointments and some have had escorts for shopping."
"I don't have a garden because I live above the shops. I share someone else's garden nearby, which I got through Time Bank. He's elderly and can no longer manage it himself. When I get a harvest, I can swap other veg at the Food Co-op with mine, which I love. I'm also involved in the Young Parents Group. Today, I was the only male there so I help by being a male role model for the kids, but I'm also a young parent as well."