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Have you ever thought…

My trousers have ripped... if only I had a sewing machine to quickly fix them, but I don’t want to invest in buying one just for this!
I need to clean my windows, it would be great to borrow a ladder for the weekend!
I need to trim the hedge this weekend, but I don’t need to buy a trimmer, as I only use it twice a year!
I have a great toolbox but I rarely use it, maybe someone in the community could use it when I don’t need it?
I would love to take the kids camping but buying a new tent and all the camping equipment is expensive!

The answer to all of these thoughts is a community BOSH!

Having a BOSH in our local community would mean:

Individuals from the community could save money and space as renting items, prevents the need to buy new ones which are typically used infrequently and often spend more time idle in a shed/cupboard!
Individuals help prevent the climate and ecological crisis - renting instead of buying reduces excessive consumption, preventing waste, huge resources, energy and impact which occur as a result of making new items.
Helping individuals in the community access products that they might not be able to afford/have the space to host, as renting items will be much cheaper than buying them brand new.
In the long term, money could be raised through the Malmesbury BOSH, which can be donated back into other Malmesbury community projects.

Items we'd be looking to stock at our BOSH:

1. Cooking supplies - kitchen scales, ice cream makers, blenders, breadmakers, smoothie makers etc.

2. Arts and crafts supplies - sewing machines, stamping machines, easels, glue guns etc.

3. Electric supplies - projectors and projector screens, DVD players, cameras and camcorders etc.

4. Outdoor supplies - camping tents, chairs and mattresses, picnic boxes, etc.

5. Indoor supplies - puzzles, yoga mats, gym equipment, musical instruments etc.

6. Family fun supplies - toys, board games etc.

7. Sports supplies - sports rackets, golf clubs, balls etc.

Where, when, how?

If we received positive feedback about the idea and had offers of goods and time, in an ideal world, we'd like to start thinking about...

Finding and costing a location - ideally this would be somewhere centrally within Malmesbury, to act as a hub in the community.
Finding items - these would ideally be donated by the community.
Finding volunteers/or paid staff (if this could be afforded) to run the location. This would include volunteers with specialist skills such as PAT testing qualifications.
Building momentum around the idea - community engagement and communications.
Finances - there will be some upfront costs. Could we create a Malmesbury BOSH crowdfunding page? Do you know of grants/financial opportunities we could apply for?

Let us know if you could help us out with any of these points. We would love to see a project up in Malmesbury in some forms over the next 6 months. We have already had some productive conversations with some of our Town Councillors who are very supportive of the idea.

Fill our our questionnaire to help us find out more about whether this is something the community of Malmesbury would want!

Fill Out Our Questionnaire