A new shop has opened in Salisbury that allows people to borrow items cheaply for a period of time rather than buying them.

Share Salisbury is a 'Library of Things', where for a small fee you can borrow useful items as varied as glue guns, projectors and PA systems.

The idea is to provide the community with things which may have previously been unaffordable, required for single use or impractical to store at home, to reduce waste and help people save money.

Salisbury Mayor Caroline Corbin cut the ribbon at the Library of Things' opening ceremony on Saturday. 

The venture was launched by Eva McHugh, after seeing successful schemes in Frome, Oxford and Exeter.

After being put on furlough and made redudant from Berry Telecom in Salisbury, she wanted to put her plans into action.

She raised money through GoFundMe and had a grant of £3,200 from Salisbury Area Board and formed a Community Interest Company.

Eva said: "I'm part of Salisbury Transition City, which tries to achieve environmental change at a local level. The idea for a Library of Things started within that group.

"I thought it would be a brilliant thing to start in Salisbury. I was put on furlough and made redundant, and I had these plans and thought it was now or never.

"The idea is to reduce waste, which you get through buying packaging, and reducing carbon for creating and delivering items. It helps the environment and helps with storage space or if you don't have the money to purchase the item outright.

"There are many people who are struggling to find work or have been made redundant, and Spare Salisbury is a community resource available to them."

Items in Share Salisbury are cheaper than the cost of hiring them elsewhere, and signing up to membership means a 70% discount on borrowed items.

A standard membership is £4 a month and for low income borrowers £1 a month.

Members also have a say in what gets added to the library, so if there is a need for a specific item the company will ask for donations or buy one.

Share Salisbury is based in the Churchfields Industrial Estate.

 

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