frontnews Archives - Timebanking UK

TIMEBANKING UK AT THE FOREFRONT OF SOCIAL CHANGE:

GOVERNMENT AGREES THAT TIMEBANKING HOLDS MERIT FOR UK COMMUNITIES.

Tuesday 27^th February 2024 saw Deidre Brock Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith, in Westminster Hall to pose the following:

“I beg to move, that this House has considered the potential merits of Government support for timebanking.”

As a Trustee of Leith Time Bank, Ms. Brock has personal experience of the power in timebanking to transform the lives of individuals and strengthen communities. Ms. Brock was joined at Westminster Hall by Sarah Bird, CEO of Timebanking UK (TBUK), the national charity leading and advocating for timebanking in the UK.

Success Stories and Impact: Ms. Brock illustrated the transformative impact of timebanking on individuals and communities. Members reported increased social connections, improved mental health, and enhanced community belonging as key outcomes of their participation. By fostering cross-generational interactions and breaking down social barriers, timebanking initiatives have become lifelines for many individuals.

“Timebanking UK’s case studies show that joining a time bank really can change people’s lives. Time bank members learn new skills, meet new people who are often from different backgrounds, report better self-esteem and self-confidence, and feel healthier—both mentally and physically.”

Deidre Brock MP

Ms. Brock went on to emphasise the critical role of timebanking in combating social isolation and building community resilience. Citing statistics revealing a decline in social trust and increasing rates of loneliness, Brock underscored the need for initiatives like timebanking to bridge social divides and promote inclusive communities. Drawing on the expertise of TBUK she advocated for a three-year national programme to expand timebanking networks, enhance public awareness, and provide training for social care professionals.

The members discussed the invaluable contributions of TBUK, committed as it is to co-producing empowerment and social cohesion alongside community, organisations and corporate partners. TBUK, was invited to contribute to the substance of the debate, highlighting the organisation’s pivotal role over two decades in fostering inclusive communities across the UK. TBUK provides essential resources, including training, support, and software solutions, to time banks nationwide.

TBUK has civic engagement at its core, equipping local communities with the tools and knowledge needed to establish and sustain the timebanking networks that deliver impact at a hyper-local level. By amplifying the voices of local time banks and facilitating collaboration among stakeholders, TBUK continues to drive positive change at both the grassroots and policy levels.

“It is inspiring to see the positive impact that timebanking brings being recognised and endorsed as a cornerstone of positive social change, community engagement and well-being”.

Dr. Stefan Fafinski DL, Chair of the Board, Timebanking UK

Government Response and Future Directions: Rt. Hon. Stuart Andrew MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, welcomed Brock’s advocacy and expressed a willingness to explore further collaboration with Timebanking UK. As the Minister for Loneliness, Andrew acknowledged the importance of volunteering and community engagement in addressing social isolation. He recognised timebanking as a valuable tool for fostering social connections and emphasised the need for innovative approaches to community building.

“It is truly striking to see how time banking can help to foster those social connections and help local communities and economies to thrive.” 

Rt. Hon. Stuart Andrew MP

Timebanking UK remains committed to representing and advocating for the UK timebanking movement – empowering communities, fostering social connections, and creating a more equitable society for all. By championing the principles of reciprocity, inclusion, and mutual support, TBUK stands as a testament to the power of collective action and grassroots innovation in addressing pressing social challenges. Top of Form

The debate culminated in a vote of support for timebanking initiatives, marking a significant milestone in the movement’s journey. With a clear mandate from Parliament, efforts to expand timebanking networks are poised to receive increased momentum and resources. Moving forward, continued collaboration between policymakers, community organisations, and volunteers will be crucial in harnessing the power of timebanking to create more connected and inclusive societies.

Timebanking UK extends an invitation to all communities, non-profit organisations, and businesses that would like to be part of this drive toward greater civic engagement.

For all enquiries please contact rebecca@timebanking.org

CEO Sarah Bird interview discussed community benefits of timebanking

Our CEO, Sarah Bird, was recently interviewed by Kasia Westwood of 3SC about the benefits and impact timebanking has on communities.

https://loom.ly/vjspWAc

Timebanking is a currency in which an hour of help given earns an hour in return for the support each contributor needs.

It is being used to great effect across the country from cul-de-sacs, blocks of flats, businesses that care, and supported living centres to youth offender institutions.

Timebanking can be applied wherever people want to help people. If you’re looking for ways to make an authentic contribution that will positively impact a community that matters to you — Timebanking UK is here to help you achieve that goal.

Connect with and contact Rebecca@timebanking.org to get started.

International Timebanking Day(s)

International Timebank Days

To mark Edgar’s Cahn’s (counsel and speech writer to Robert F. Kennedy, and the creator of TimeBanking) birthday on 23 March, our friends and partners at Timebanks.Org are hosting the Fifth International Timebanking Day, with events spread across Thursday 23rd and Sunday 26th March 2023. Bringing a spotlight to the experience of time bank members from around the globe and from every walk of life.

To find out more and to take part, click here.

Could Timebanking help prevent climate crisis?

André Gorz, a French social scientist, coined the term “degrowth” in 1972. At an academic forum, he posed a revolutionary question: “Is the earth’s balance, for which no-growth—or even degrowth—of material production is a necessary condition, compatible with the survival of the capitalist system?” Back then, the idea of prioritizing human and environmental welfare over economic growth was so radical that Gorz was laughed out of the political sphere.

The concept of degrowth as demonstrated in a timebank in Boston in the US.

The full story can be read here (external link).

Fantastic news from Ukraine – new time bank set up!

Ukraine time bank There’s recently been a fantastic development in the world of timebanking! Along with @TimeBanksOrg we’ve supported the @PAUCIFoundation to set up a time bank in Ukraine! Timebank Verkhovyna has launched in West Ukraine helping to involve people displaced from Eastern Ukraine where they can feel valued and engaged in the local community. I am personally very proud and moved with their mention of my help.

The full story can be read here (external link).

A sad day for timebanking

Dr. Edgar Cahn

Sadly, the world has lost a wonderful pioneer and trailblazer to the Timebanking movement early Sunday morning.

Dr. Edgar Cahn, age 86, One of the founders of timebanking, author of Time Dollars and No More Throw-Away People, embodied the highest ideals of both mobilizing communities to come together to express their strengths and to restore mutual care. He created a new way to link untapped social capacity to unmet social needs and for communities to come together to help promote trust, reciprocity, and citizen engagement.
In the most beautiful way, Edgar moved people from his heart. He made each person feel that their problem is important and that he has all the time in the world for them.

Thank you, Edgar.

On behalf of the timebanking movement in the UK. Our deepest sympathies to not just his family but everyone that has been touched by him.

“We have what we need – if we use what we have” – Edgar Cahn

A tall person wearing dark glasses is walking using sticks, next to a man in a wheelchair who is wearing a flat cap and bright blue trainers. They both look happy. They are walking along a path next to a fence, behind which are bushes and shrubs.

London-wide time bank set to launch

A new London-wide time bank is hoping to make it easier for people across the city to help each other. Timesight London has been started by Timebanking UK (TBUK) with support from Vision Foundation, with the aim of forging connections between visually impaired and non-visually impaired Londoners. The project has earned the endorsement of TBUK’s patron, Lord Low of Dalston, a former chair of the RNIB and a passionate advocate for removing barriers to access; you can hear Lord Low explaining the concept of timebanking in this clip.

Timebanking is distinct from traditional volunteering because it doesn’t label people as ‘those who help’ and ‘those who need help’ – in a time bank, every member can both give and receive time. That means that people who have been isolated, out of work, or suffering from ill health can rediscover their own skills and talents and develop a renewed sense of self-worth. It also makes it easy for people with differing abilities to find ways to keep their skills sharp – even at times of reduced employment.

Timesight London has been started up to facilitate an active and symbiotic relationship between people who might otherwise never meet. The time bank is fully accessible for people with visual impairments, with software designed for text-to-speech applications, and support on hand to help people create and fulfil requests.

“Like all time banks, Timesight London starts with its members,” explains John, TBUK project leader for Timesight London. “The time bank makes it easy for visually impaired members to request some one-off support negotiating post-Covid changes to a tube station, for example – and it also enables them to share their own skills and to support other members.

“One of our most active members is Ian, an IT expert who’s registered blind, who has been earning timebanking hours by showing other members how to use specialist software. Over 30 people are already signed up to the time bank. Exchanges can take place in person or in groups, or online, and the TBUK team are on hand to walk people through the process and ensure they feel comfortable and safe.”

The time bank uses TBUK’s specialist software Time Online 2, which acts as a ‘shopfront’ for members’ offers and requests and makes it easy for people to arrange exchanges. Timebanking UK host a FREE session to demonstrate the software on Friday 14 January 2022 at 2pm – you can register here. If you’d like to reap the benefits of being part of a time bank or know someone who would, why not join Timesight London? Email john@timebanking.org to find out more.

Time to speak up

Timebanking UK has been working with partners across the country to give a voice to people who have been hit hard by the pandemic, whether because of mental health issues, low income, unemployment or other challenges. The European Social Fund (ESF) has funded training and support to help TBUK work with Creative Lives, Richmond Fellowship, Coventry and Warwickshire Cooperative Development Agency and the BBC on a series of projects… and they’re seeking participants for the latest training programme, Sound Ideas to Share.

Sound Ideas to Share will equip those who take part with the skills they need to find employment in the creative or broadcasting area, and will include a set of training sessions from BBC Radio Merseyside’s Ngunan Adamu. The sessions are fun and interactive, and people will learn how to write a compelling trailer and intro, how to find and brief guests, and how to record, upload and promote their podcasts. They also have the chance to find out about timebanking and share their skills with others through a time bank.

Last year, TBUK worked with Richmond Fellowship’s Vicki Pritchard, who runs Our Time time bank in Liverpool, and producer John Offord, along with a group of enthusiastic trainee podcasters, to produce It’s About Time, a series of podcasts exploring their own lived experience of mental health issues. One of the participants, Aaron Mckenna, a member of Mencap Liverpool and Sefton, has gone on to make further podcasts.

Earlier in 2020, another crew of amateur broadcasters, this time in Coventry and Warwickshire, got together to create three more broadcasts, as part of the Sound Ideas stable of podcasts, again working with John Offord (see below). The team were joined at the celebration to mark their success by Mick Spicer, who runs Time 4 Warwickshire.

A group of people are standing together. Some are kneeling. Some of the people are holding certificates. They are smiling.

If you know someone in the Liverpool area who might benefit from learning a set of new skills – as well as making new friends and gaining self-confidence – please call Vicki Pritchard on 07901 517336.

Woolmer Forest hits 6 million!

A time bank in Hampshire bank has made history by recording the 6 millionth timebanking hour.

After weeks of watching as the numbers got closer and closer to the magical six million mark, TBUK’s IT manager Ian Toplis announced that the time bank that tipped the balance was Woolmer Forest in Hampshire, which serves the area around Whitehill and Bordon.

Claire Coxwell, the time bank’s hard-working manager (pictured right), said, “How amazing that Woolmer Forest Timebank is the one out of all the time banks in the UK who achieved the six millionth timebanking hour!”

The six millionth hour was earned by time bank member Daphne, who’s been supporting another member, Sue, by phoning her regularly to talk to her through a difficult time.

TBUK’s CEO Sarah Bird said, “Claire, we’re so very proud of you, Daphne, and Sue for helping TBUK and our timebanking community reach this amazing milestone. It’s a huge achievement for you and your members, for all of our British time banks, and for the timebanking movement.”

A FAB effort!

Christmas food parcels ready for delivery Since the onset of the pandemic, Ann Holloway of Fauldhouse and Breich Valley (better known as FAB) Timebank has found she’s had to change the way she works.

FAB Timebank is part of the Community Development Trust, and Ann explains that her timebanking work paused at the first lockdown as she took on a lot of anti-poverty work helping people most in need. With food hampers, teas, Christmas bags and welfare packages, Ann and her team have ensured no one in their community has been left isolated.

However, Ann is now looking forward to getting back to timebanking again, as so many of her members would rather meet up in person than online. And, with the new post-Covid roadmap now in place, time bank members can begin to think about resuming the activities they so enjoy.

Despite the challenges the pandemic has thrown at them, FAB Timebank has found a number of silver linings, including closer work with community partners.

Ann told us, “HMP Addiewell worked with us over Christmas, with residents and staff giving us help with hampers and afternoon tea – we’re now one of their chosen charities. We also have a local Masonic lodge with a large garden that can used by a local school for children with complex needs special needs to grow food for cookery classes.”

As Ann explains, Easter is always a busy time for FAB Timebank, and she’s not going to let the pandemic stop her this year: “We plan to do an Easter Hunt around the village using catchphrases with local shops participating. The phrases are printed out for children to find in shop windows – and I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I’ll make sure everyone who does the trail gets an egg!”