SHARE Frome – Library of Things Assistant

Apply by midday on Thursday 4th April 2024

Introduction to SHARE Frome

SHARE Frome is a Library of Things. It’s a community venture, owned and run by the community to serve the community. From power tools to camping gear, party lighting to PA systems, kids costumes to candy floss machines, SHARE Frome has over 800 items people can borrow.

The first of its kind, SHARE Frome exists to help reduce the carbon footprint of the town by enabling borrowing instead of buying new and so reducing material production and landfill waste. Our service offers members a way to be kinder to the planet whilst also saving money and space in their homes. Hand in hand with this, SHARE provides a community space for people to donate, volunteer, connect and share and build skills.

We care passionately about delivering environmental, economical and social impacts and building a strong sense of community in Frome. By offering people a simple, practical and sometimes even fun way to shift their behaviours from individual consumption and ownership to borrowing and repair, they not only save money and space but become part of an amazing community of like minded people supporting each other to live well.

SHARE Frome operated as part of Edventure Frome since our inception but in 2022 we separated from Edventure to go it alone as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Since then we have worked hard to find our ‘community’ and to connect and collaborate with local groups and organisations to support each other and build a better network of services and support for Frome.

Job Description

SHARE Frome requires a confident and autonomous Library of Things Assistant to help run the shop and collaborate with the Operations and Marketing Manager to help improve and grow our sustainable services for the community of Frome.

Type of contract: Part Time Temporary Contract (see further details in hours section below)

Line Manager: Jess Gardiner – Operations & Marketing Manager

Duties will include:

• Opening and closing of the library,
• Customer facing management of the check outs/ins of items on MyTurn (library software),
• Answering phone and email enquiries about borrows,
• Calling and emailing customers who haven’t collected or returned items,
• Managing petty cash and purchases of shop consumables,
• Coordination of volunteers responsibilities when they are in the library,
• Ensuring the library is tidy at the end of a shift and borrows are ready for the next day,
• Training new volunteers when they start,
• Cleaning the shop, item store, kitchen and toilet area,
• Checking and cleaning items when they are returned to ready them for the next borrower,
• Having an input into library organisation & improvements,

Person Specification:

Must Haves:

• Must have experience using a CRM and/or be a quick learning when it comes to using software
• Retail (preferably in a charity shop) or sales experience
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to handle difficult conversations calmly.
• A positive, professional and courteous manner with a focus on good customer service.
• A strong work ethic with the desire to always do the very best job you can
• Physically fit enough to get up a ladder and lift and move reasonably heavy things up and down stairs

Desireable:

• An ability to prioritise your work load in order to be able to deal with tasks swiftly and effectively.
• A practical nature with good user knowledge of homewares, DIY and gardening equipment
• Experience managing people or at least comfortable delegating tasks.
• An organised and tidy approach to the way you work
• Ability to develop good working relationships and work as a team.
• Ability to use initiative and to be self-motivated.
• Logical thinking with creative problem-solving ability and a decisive hands on approach to the job
• An ability to prioritise your work load in order to be able to deal with tasks swiftly and effectively.
• A flexible approach to working weekends and evenings to coincide with events or meetings.

Salary: Salary is £11.45p/h.

Hours:

• Permanent shifts are Mondays (14:45-18:15) and every other Saturdays (8:45-12:15).
• Temporary shifts that need covering are Thursdays (14:45-18:15) and Fridays (8:45-12:15). These shifts will need covering for a minimum of two months with the potential for longer or becoming permanent in the future.
• We also require capacity and flexibility on Tuesday mornings (8:45-12:15) for covering for the other Library of Things Assistant when they take sick or annual leave.

Applications close on the 4th April 2024. If you are interested, please contact Jess on [email protected] ASAP, providing a CV and a cover letter.

We will be arranging face to face interviews with successful candidates on the week commencing 8th April. Job to start ASAP thereafter.

50% Discount for Concession Members

As of Monday 4th March, SHARE Frome will be offering their Concession Members a 50% discount on the listed borrow price of items in our library of things.

Like everybody, SHARE Frome is experiencing difficult times financially and is looking at a number of ways to help keep our doors open. SHARE have made this change as the previous 75% discount given to Concession Members meant that some borrowing transactions were being processed at a loss to SHARE which is no longer sustainable.

£3 Recommended Annual Donation for Members

As of Monday 11th March, SHARE Frome will be recommending a minimum annual donation of £3 when Individuals, Community Groups or Students & Pensioners join SHARE Frome Library of Things. The recommended donation for Concession Memberships will stay the same at just £1 for the year.

Like everybody, SHARE Frome is experiencing difficult times financially and is looking at a number of ways to keep our doors open for you all. This small additional annual donation from individuals will make a huge difference to us at SHARE meaning that customers, staff and volunteers can continue enjoying being part of SHARE in the future.

Our Autumn / Winter opening hours go live starting Monday 2nd October 2023. A simplified opening schedule and 30mins longer opening during each session means it will be easier for you to get down to us to collect or return your items.

SHARE NEWSLETTER – August 2023

Welcome to our regular newsletter

Find out just what we’re up to at SHARE, including details of our latest projects, up and coming workshops and how you can get involved.

Previous Issues

Find a comfy spot and enjoy reading our previous issues.

SHARE Newsletter

Sign up and get an email reminder when our Newsletter and SHARE Sundays online magazine are issued each month.

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Life here at SHARE Frome has been busy in 2022 and we have yet more changes to come in the new year which we hope will make borrowing from us easier.

In July of this year after an 18 month application process, we were really proud to finally become a UK registered charity. In September we made another big step and separated from local Community Entrepreneurship business Edventure, who have owned us ever since starting us seven years ago as part of their regular Business Start-up courses run for young adults. 

You may have noticed changes going on inside our shop too. A retro paint job was finished just in time for our first ever fund-raising Funk Soul Disco in June of this year. This unique and fun event was a great success bringing staff, volunteers, trustees, customers and the general public together. And we’re not stopping there as plans are now underway for the Big Library Reshuffle, a two-day volunteering event on 21st & 22nd December which aims to improve our existing Library of Things service by allowing us to store more items members can borrow and create a space where individuals and organisations can come and share their skills and knowledge about recycling, repairing, reducing and reusing; values that are core to our charitable purpose.

We are also currently looking for a new Library of Things Assistant to replace are long-term staff member Clare Krige and as of Monday 9th January 2023 we’ll be changing our opening hours. We’ll have an early shift (8:30-11:00) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays to suit those out on the school run and our later shift (15:30-18:00) on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays will make borrowing more manageable for people who work.

If you’re interested in finding out more about The Library of Things Assistant job, you can go to https://sharefrome.org/2022/10/27/apply/. To see what you can borrow from SHARE Frome, click through to our catalogue at www.sharefrome.org/things or to volunteer your help with the Big Library Reshuffle, call 07983 639611 and leave your name and details and somebody will call you back.

SHARE Frome volunteers at Shared Earth

We teamed up with Shared Earth Learning this month to host a staff/volunteer/trustee team day at Vallis Veg, the home of many of Shared Earth’s projects! It was the perfect autumnal day for putting on our gardening gloves, breathing in the fresh air and getting back to nature!

All 3 managers, 4 of our volunteers and 3 trustees joined one of Shared Earth’s directors, Jen, to make compost boxes out of old pallets, a leaf mulcher and getting beds ready by doing lots of weeding!

A huge thanks to our wonderful Operations and Marketing Manager, Jess, who organised the day, making some very yummy leek and potato soup, which we heated up on an open fire!

A little more about Shared Earth Learning Co-op, they are a charity that aims to nurture love of nature! They offer a range of projects, such as Forest School, helping kids learn using the outdoors, Play Ranging, bringing outdoor fun to kids in Frome, gardening groups for teens and adults and much more.

They will be appearing at a Pumpkin Day and Harvest Swap on the 30th October, with a range of fun activities for all ages! See what other events they currently have on here.

Did you know we have an Apple/Grape Scratter and an Apple Press available to borrow? Here is a simple step by step guide to making your own apple juice. You can also use a Blender/Food Processor for the first part of the process, instead of the Scratter. Feeling lazy and want apple juice quickly? Why not borrow one of our Juicers instead? But for all those wanting the old school, rustic technique, here it is:

Step One

An optional first step is to wash your apples using water and small bit of vinegar, if you are worried about dirt or other nasties. Then, you will need to chop your apples up into smaller pieces. This is not so necessary for our Apple Scratter, but it can be a good idea to make sure any rotten or wormy parts are cut away! You can keep the cores and bruised areas (this makes the juice sweeter!). If you are using a blender, it is a necessary step to chop into smaller pieces, to make processing easier.

Step Two

Next, use our Apple Scratter to crush your apples! Make sure the Scratter is clean by running hot water through the cogs beforehand. Put the Scratter on top of a clean bucket before pressing. You may need several clean buckets ready to fill. Then simply turn the handle! You may need another person to feed in the apples while you turn with both hands! Alternatively, you can use our blender to crush your apples!

Step Three

Next get our Apple Press ready by cleaning with hot water. Then put a straining bag or muslin into the apple press to furthur strain your juice. Make sure you put a clean bucket underneath the Apple press, ready to catch the juice trickling out. Then start turning! Crank it down as far as it will go.

For a helpful visual of this process, this is a great video!

Step Four

When you are done straining the apples, make sure to compost your pulp. To allow the pulp to compost well, mix it with newspaper, cardboard, straw or crop wastes.

Step Five

Next, sterilise your bottles by washing them out thoroughly, then filling them with warm water containing a little sodium metabisulphite. Screw the lids on firmly and lay the bottles on their sides. Leave the solution in the bottles for at least half an hour, turning them once or twice to ensure that every part of the inner surface has been disinfected. Immediately before filling them with juice, rinse the bottles out with warm water.

Step Six

Next fill your sterilised bottles with your freshly squeezed juice. You can pastuerise your apple juice by leaving the caps off and putting them in the pans of hot water. You should keep them as close as possible to 77C for half an hour. You might need to add some cold water to the pans from time to time to keep the temperature steady. Don’t overheat the juice or it will oxidise, spoiling the flavour. Before the pasteurised juice cools down, screw the tops back on the bottles. Then lie them on their sides, so that the warm juice sterilises the lids, which might have picked up some germs while the bottles were cooking. And you’re done!

Cleaning

Make sure to clean the Apple Scratter by running warm water through it when you are finished. If you find the cogs are getting a bit stiff, you can use a bit of food grade AC-90 lubricant, provided with the Scratter, or you can use rapeseed oil. Simply spray or pour a small amount into the cogs after washing.

FAQs

Need help in the process? If you are struggling and need a question answered, this is a great page!

We got a mention this week in the latest Frome Food Network newsletter. Check it out for more info on harvesting apples and why not sign up to get all the latest Frome Food news yourself.

This post was inspired by this Guardian article

We all know the cost of energy is going to go up dramatically this winter and running a fridge-freezer costs around 7% of your total energy bill. Because it’s one of the few appliances that stays on the whole time, it can be difficult to try to save some of that energy.

But here are some useful tips that you can help to cut down on costs. Some make more difference than others, but every little bit can help when prices go up. 

1. Clean the back of your fridge

The coils on the back of your fridge are part of the condenser that cools room temperature air to keep your food cool. These coils can get quite dusty and dirty over time, especially since we rarely clean the back part of the fridge, unless you happen to be moving the fridge. This dust and dirt makes them far less efficient and takes more energy to cool the air down.

Dirt can also reduce the lifespan of your fridge, so every 6 months or so, make sure you give them a clean. You can use a duster or the suction nozzle of a vacuum cleaner to do this. Make sure to unplug it temporarily before you do.

2. Turn off the ice maker

Make sure to turn off your ice maker if you do not use it regularly in the winter. Only turn it on if you really need it during the summer or a party, or use ice cube moulds instead. This can make a big difference to your running costs.

3. Defrost!

As time goes by, frost can build up on the sides of your freezer and drawers, making it far less efficient and more expensive to run. If your lucky to have a freezer designed not frost up at all, no need to worry, but if not, you could cut its running costs by defrosting every few months. (Also a great way to use up all those meals you put in the freezer and forgot about!)

4. Fill her up!

Firstly, when buying a fridge, make sure you’re buying the right-sized one for your household. Buying a large on for 2 people is going to waste a lot of energy. Most of the time, the bigger the fridge, the more it costs to run.

If you have a fridge or freezer with plenty of unused space, you can always fill it with bottles of tap water or screwed-up newspaper. Otherwise you’re just cooling down air and making your fridge work harder. You can also put in fruit, veg and bread, which usually is fine in room temperature, but keeping it in the fridge could prolong it’s life, while helping to keep your fridge full.

However, you do not need to fill your fridge so much that you can’t see what’s in it. This can go the other way and cause you to spend more time standing with the fridge door open, making your fridge work harder to cool the warm air coming in. You can also keep fruit and veg and bread, which usually is fine in room temperature, but keeping it in the fridge

5. How efficient is your fridge?

All fridges and freezers are given efficiency ratings, the most efficient being A+++. Choosing an A+++ fridge freezer over an A+ model can save you around £200 in energy bills over it’s lifetime, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

This of course has to be balanced against the initial price of a new fridge freezer, so it doesn’t necessarily make financial sense to upgrade too often. Perhaps if you were already thinking about replacing your fridge, now might be a good time to do it.

6. Check the door seal

Make sure that no cool air is escaping from your fridge from a broken seal. This can make your fridge work much harder, wasting energy. Seals are usually the first part of a fridge to wear down and break. You can usually buy replacements online. Also keeping them clean, will helps to make them last

7. Keep it cool

Many kitchens are too small to give us much choice about how we arrange our appliances. However, if you can, make sure your fridge-freezer is in a shady, cool spot, ideally away from direct sunlight. The cooler it stays, the less hard it has to work and the cheaper it is to run.

Equally, keeping your fridge-freezer away from your oven, especially if your oven is inefficient and allows heat to escape, can help to keep it running more efficiently.

Need more advice?

For more advice on energy saving head to Uswitch Energy Saving Tips

You can also see what advice Frome Town Council is offering this autumn.

We want to make borrowing fair, friendly and fun – without hidden catches and sneaky small print! That’s why it’s important that all our borrowers agree to these 5 simple rules of borrowing:

1. Use it correctly

We have manuals on our listings as well as paper manuals attached to our items. Please let us know if these are missing!

2. Bring it back on time

Bring your items back on time so the next borrower isn’t kept waiting, and to avoid late fees! If you know you won’t be able to make it in on time, just give us a call or drop us an email.

3. Keep it clean

Make sure to clean your items before returning, to avoid a cleaning fee and to help make it easier for our staff and volunteers. It’s also much more pleasant for the next borrower!

4. Tell us about any problems or breakages

Let us know of any damages or faults immediately, by phoning, emailing or telling us when you drop off, so that we can fix or replace the item in time for the next borrower.

5. Share your feedback!

We love to hear feedback, stories & ideas here so we can keep improving Library of Things for future borrowers. You can post a review online here!

At SHARE:Frome we’ve been shining a light on the more unusual items that fill our shelves, some items that since working here I was surprised to discover whilst searching for other things to fulfill peoples orders. One in particular I’ve been wanting to borrow was a ice-cream maker. With this scorching heat not much could be better and with it being incredibly simple to make you can even get your kids involved with some personal flavours of choice.

Trying to make the most out of the still bright evenings a movie night outside is an activity for everyone. We have multiple projectors and large screens to go with them, not to mention our popcorn makers for a cinema snack as you relax on our inflatable lounger, sipping cocktails you made using our rather swanky copper cocktail set.

One last item that I believe could make this heat easier is a nice light meal and one easy favourite for many people is pasta. The ingredients are cheap being mostly just flour and eggs but it can be a struggle to roll it out flat and cut it into your desired size. Luckily we have a pasta maker that can do the hard work for you so it won’t be long before you’ve made up a batch of your favourite kind. It even does Ravioli if you want to treat friends and family to something special.

We have all sorts of weird and wonderful items in our Library of Things so why not scroll through our site and take a look as you never know what you might find to take you on your next SHARE adventure.

Dom Boddy

SHARE Shop Assistant

It’s festival season and we love being able to make your festival experience even more enjoyable and affordable! Instead fo buying a new tent, why not borrow one? We’ve got all the bells and whistles that’ll get you ready for any festival, come rain or shine!

1. Trolleys

An essential, especially if you are in a big group and need to lug your gear from one end of the festival to the other! We have a folding wheelbarrow, easy to store in your car, as well as sack trolleys, which are great for moving big tents! Alternatively, we have a wheelbarrow and a garden cart that can do the same thing!

2. Camping Shower

A luxurious item in the realm of festivals, this is a great alternative to waiting in queues and paying fees for showers. Why not avoid trying to clean yourself at the nearest tap, and shower with class! Our camping shower holds 20L and can be left in the sun all day to heat up, ready for a nice warm shower in the evening! We only have one so reserve it now!

3. Fire Pit

Who doesn’t love a campfire? We love this handy and portable fire pit, becuase it’s light, but still has large capacity for holding 5kg of wood. Just make sure to check festival rules before using!

4. Bunting

We’ve got a large range of bunting, perfect for making your temporary home stand out amongst the sea of tents! From giant bunting, to handmade bunting, we have various lengths, to personalise your tent!

5. Solar fairy lights

Another cool option to make your tent stand out, especially when fumbling back in the middle of the night! These lights that can be charged throughout the day and turn on as soon as it’s dark. Whether you want colourful or plain, we’ve got a few to choose from. Alternatively, we also have battery powered string lights!

6. Instruments

Who doesn’t love a little jamming by the campfire? Or a festival open mic? Ukuleles are a great, portable instument to pack, to get people singing. We also have bongo drums and a percussion set to get you in the festival spirit!

7. Chairs

An absolute essential at a festival, we have a range of camping chairs, but did you know have a rucksack seat? Or if you want something really portable for the day, we also have a hiking/shooting stick!

8. Circus Equipment

If you love showing off your circus skills at festivals, why not borrow our juggling clubs or diablo? We also have a hoola hoop, a pair of stilts and a unicycle!

9. Beach Windbreak

This is a great item for a bit of privacy around your camping area, especially if you’re in a big group! We also have parasols and a shade sail, if you need a bit of extra sun protection.

10. Cooking Equipment

Last, but definitely not least, we have a range of camping cooking equipment, from pots and pans, to gas stoves. We all know how expensive festival food can be, so why not pack a few cheaper meals to cook, and serve them up on our camping plates? Plus, you can keep your pantry organised for the weekend, with our camping kitchen!

Get Reserving!

Have you got a festival coming up and have seen an item (or a few!) you like? Make sure you sign up as member and start reserving! It’s quick and easy to do online, but you can also pop into the shop during our opening hours, Tuesday – Saturday, 10.30am – 2pm, give us a call on 07983639611 or drop an email at [email protected]. See you soon!

This post was kindly written by the wonderful Emma Croft from Get Gardening!

Have you always wanted to grow your own garden — and provide your own food — but you don’t know where to begin? Look no further: SHARE:Frome shares your definitive guide and starting point for creating your own green space to cultivate the earth, along with tools that you can borrow!

Before you plant

There are several things you need to determine before any seeds go in the ground (or, really, before you purchase any materials).

• Where will you put your garden? The best location experiences at least six hours of daily sunlight and has good drainage in your yard.
• Hire a property surveyor to make sure your garden isn’t in your neighbor’s yard.
• Are you going to have a raised bed or do you have the space to put a garden in your yard? You’ll need a large garden to feed a family year-round.
• What are you planting? Where you live can be a determining factor in what you can grow.
• Strategize! Based on the answer to the second bullet above, you should draw out a map of the garden on either grid paper or specialized software. Pay attention to how far apart the seeds need to be placed.

What’s in the soil

Ensuring you have the best and most appropriate soil for the vegetables you’re growing is a critical part of getting started.

• First, determine the soil type for where you live. That will determine what (if anything) you need to add to it for optimal gardening efficiency.
• If you have a raised bed, use a combination of compost, topsoil, decomposed leaves, and other nutrient-dense materials like worm casings.
• Mulch the soil and make sure you don’t step on the garden (as this compacts the soil and makes it harder for water and air to reach the roots, even if you’re not stepping directly on the plants).
• No matter what, loam is the best kind of soil for your vegetables. It guarantees drainage but also holds on to nutrients, including humus.

Watering sources

Make sure you incorporate a plan of how you’ll get water to your new plant babies. Especially in the first few weeks, how often they’re getting water is critical to their health.

• It can be simple to build your own irrigation system using PVC parts and your regular tools.
• A system that keeps the roots well-watered is your best bet.
• You can also just get an old-fashioned watering can — they’ll do the trick!

Useful tools to borrow

Don’t have the right tools for getting your garden going? We at SHARE:Frome have a variety of useful items to get you started!

• Prepare your beds with our Rakes, Tiller, Edgers and Hoes.
• Get your bulbs in the ground efficiently with our Bulb Planter.
• Protect your knees while working with our comfortable Kneeler with handles, as well as our Knee Pads.
• Need some extra tools for gardening with friends and family? We have Trowels, Forks, Hand Forks and Shovels.
• Make some eco-friendly, recycled plants pots with our Plant Pot Maker!
• Keep you trees and plants pruned with our Shears, Loppers and Secateurs.
• Move heavy soil with our handy Garden Cart or Wheelbarrow.
• Get rid of large rocks in your soil with our Garden Sieve.
• Make some extra mulching material using our Shredders.
• Keep your plants watered with our Garden Hoses and Watering Can.
• Feed and fertilise your plants using our Plant Sprayer.
• Reap the rewards of your labour with our Fruit Picker!

Good luck with your new (yummy) project! With a little love and a lot of elbow grease, you can be harvesting your own crops soon!

Want to know more? Head to the Get Gardening website for loads more informations and tips on mastering your garden!

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! To get 2022 off to a good start, we want to help you to keep your new years resolutions! We have made a list of some of the most common resolutions and what items SHARE can offer to help you!

Exercise more

Staying fit and healthy is important for physical as well as mental wellbeing, and we offer bike stands that allow you to attach your bicycle and use it as an indoor exercise bike! Great for rainy days! For more indoor exercise we have an exercise ball!

Why not start a new sport, such as cricket, football, tennis, or play badminton in your back garden with our badminton net? Or try out some circus skills such as spinning a diablo, juggling clubs, or hoola hoop spinning! For those who love cycling, we also offer bike tools, such as pumps, a crank extractor and a car bike rack!

Are you brave enough to go cold water swimming? We have wetsuits! Or why not keep it simple by getting some exercise by walking with our metal detector?

Eat Healthier

Eating ‘healthy’ can mean many different things and it can be hard to know what is healthy these days. The best thing to start with is focusing on eating more fresh fruit and veggies, as well as cooking from scratch and avoiding processed, fatty food. SHARE can help you out and has a great selection of utentils and appliances!

Create colourful salads with our spiralizer or veg slicer set. Make fresh and tasty juices with one of our juicers, and make yummy dried fruit snacks with our dehydrators! Make delicious smoothies, dips, sauces, as well as grate and slice veggies with our food processor! And make probiotic rich yoghurt with our yoghurt maker!

Get organized

Getting organised is a great way to help you be more productive, achieve more of your goals, as well as having a clearer head. Plus, the process of organising can be therapuetic! Why not get your office organised with our laminators and credit card/paper shredder? Get your family photo albums up to date with our paper trimmer, or digitise them with our photo scanner. Update your home VHS collection to DVD with our converter. Give your house a deeper clean with one of our carpet cleaners or steam cleaners.

Getting organised can also mean decluttering. Why not donate any of your unused tools and electric appliances to SHARE? And staying organised means staying clutter free, so instead of buying that bread maker that would need storing, why not borrow it and save you the kitchen space?

Learn a new skill or hobby 

It’s never too late to learn something new, no matter your age or current skills. Learn a new instrument, like the ukulele, guitar, keyboard or violin. Keep your instruments in tune with our tuner. Or take your guitar to the next level with our guitar pedal and amps. Wanting to try out busking? We have everything you need, including music stands, mics, stands and cables.

Explore your creative side and get painting with our artists easal, or illustrating with our lightbox. Start making your own clothes with our sewing machines and dummies. Or use one of our looms for making colourful creations. Make beautiful and delicious cakes with our cake decorating projector and other range of tins and tools. Start making movies with our camcorder.

Sick of being indoors? Start an outdoor hobby like metal detecting or bird watching with our binoculars!

Spend less money

This one is easier said than done, but we can start by saying…. Borrow, don’t Buy! You’ve heard us say this many times, but it really does help your wallet. Whether you borrow an item like a pressure washer from SHARE, or you simply borrow your neighbours hammer, you can save money by avoiding that quick but pricey online order.

Spend more time with family and friends

We offer quite a few fun items that bring people together. Unfortunately, the days of large social gatherings are still in the past, so why not focus on spending quality time with those in your household or bubble? You may be sick of seeing the same old faces, but perhaps you just need to do something fun together on the weekend? Have a movie night with one of our projectors, screens and popcorn maker! Get competitive with our table football, mini table tennis, giant Connect 4 and Jenga, or our wooden games set that includes 10 games in one, including Chess, Pass out and Checkers! Place your bets with our Poker set or show off your singing skills (or lack of) with our karaoke machine!

Food always connects people as it’s something we all have in common! Why not make a special meal for your family or a romantic meal for your significant other? Make a Spanish paella with our paella pan or hand-make some fresh spaghetti or linguine with our pasta making machine! Put together a yummy bruch with our crepe maker! Make a fun and delicious dessert with our chocolate fountain or fondue set or make some cocktails (and mocktails if you’re doing Dry January like me!) with our cocktail shaker set!

Travel more

While restrictions are still be in place, taking travel difficult, why not travel closer to home? This is not only better for the planet, avoiding the heavy emissions that come with flying, but you can see what great places are right on your doorstep. Need a suitcase? We have one! Get cycling on your trip with our car bike rack. Keep your drinks warm with our flasks and your food cold with our cooler bag or cooler box. Make sure to stay hydrated on long car journeys with our water carrier. Keep connected to the internet with our portable modems. Need to change or pump your car tyres before a long journey? We have a car jack and axle stands and a tyre pump. Travelling with a baby or small child? Use our travel cot, clip-on high chair or childs bike seat. And don’t forget to wear a mask where possible, wash your hands and follow guidelines!

Read more

Reading is great for the mind, whether you love to read gripping fiction or interesting and informative non-fiction. Why not try a new genre? While SHARE doesn’t offer books, we do love libraries of all kinds, and that includes your classic local library of books! Save money, space and emissions by borrowing a book this week!

Reduce stress

It’s been a stressful year, so why not take up meditation, yoga or a daily breathing exercises practise? Alternatively, take up gardening! It’s great for your mind and body, connecting you to nature, and is great for the planet. Browse our large range of gardening equipment, from spades and forks, to a garden hose and wheelbarrow. Keep your knees unbruised with our garden kneeler! Get ready for spring with our bulb planter and make your own eco pots with our paper pot maker!

During the cold months, the reduced light can be difficult for our mental health, so why not borrow our SAD lightbox? This can help with providing the illusion of sunlight, when it’s cloudy and grey outside. And lastly, a great way to destress is to have a massage! Do it yourself at home with our massage chair!

Volunteer

And finally, volunteering is great way to contribute to your local community, make connections and support important causes that help people and the environment. At SHARE:Frome, we are so grateful to have a wonderful team of volunteers that help us with running the shop, repairing items, PAT testing and generally supporting the cause.

Unfortunately, 2020 was a difficult year for allowing volunteers into the shop to help out and we were not able to induct any new volunteers. With 2021 now here, we are hopeful for the spring to bring the chance for our current and new volunteers to join us again! If you would like to volunteer with SHARE once that time comes, please fill in our volunteer form and we will keep you posted!

In this blog post, I’ll be showing you how to use our wonderful pasta machine which you can borrow for only £6.10 a week (or borrow this one for £2.05)! I have chosen to make vegan spaghetti, but you can find recipes easily online for fresh pasta with eggs, as well as recipes for tomato pasta, garlic pasta, herb pasta and more. Get creative! You can also use gluten free pasta flour!

What you will need:

• 1 cup plain flour*
• 1 cup semolina flour* (*Or you can use 2 cups of pasta flour, which is already mixed for you, much easier!)
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup water

Step One

Start by mixing your ingredients. Pour your flour into a bowl, make a little well and pour in the wet ingredients. Start mixing. If you feel it needs more liquid, add extra water in very small amounts. Make sure to knead it for a few minutes. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look well mixed. That is the beauty of this machine, it will mix it for you!

Step Two

Rest your dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the gluten develop. During this time, it’s good to make sure your machine is clean before using it. Head to the end of this post to see how to do this. Please note: It is very important that you don’t use water or anything wet to clean it, as it will rust.

Step three

Next, get the machine ready, by inserting the handle into the hole of the right hand side (opposite side of the numbered dial). Then clamp the machine to your work surface, making sure the handle is hanging over the edge of the surface. Use the hole in this same side to attach the clamp.

Step Four

Once the dough is rested and the machine is ready to go, set the dial on the left side (opposite the handle) to 1, by pressing the lever and turning at the same time. You will see the gap inside the machine change it’s width. You want to start with it on it’s widest gap. It will then lock in place.

Step Five

Next take a handful of dough, about a tennis ball size. Roughly knead it flat so that one end will fit into the machine. You are now ready to start rolling!

Step six

The best way to do it is to hold the dough above the machine with your left hand and turn the lever with your right hand. The turning can a bit stiff at first, but as you work the dough, it will get easier. You will see the dough coming out on the side facing you. Use your left hand to guide this flattened dough out of the bottom.

Step seven

Once you have worked the dough for the first time, it will have a funny shape. Simply fold in half and repeat step 4. Do this several times over, folding and rolling. It will start to take more if a neat rectangular shape and the colour will become more even. You can also try folding it length-ways and width-ways to get a more even shape.

Step eight

Next, adjust the gap size by turning the dial to 3/4 to start with and then 5/6, repeating step 4. This will roll your dough out thinner. If you want thicker pasta, leave it at 3/4.

Step nine

Then use the cutter to roll along the length of your rolled out dough. This will make sure the edges are straight and the width will fit the spaghetti/tagliatelle cutter. This is also good for making neat lasagna sheets. Any off cuts can be added to the next piece of dough to be worked through the machine. When a sheet is completed, make sure to sprinkle some flour on the top and bottom before piling up the sheets, to stop them sticking to eachother. This will also help the pasta keep its shape after cutting.

Step ten

Now you can move onto the cutter attachments of the machine. Making sure they are clean, attach the 2 spaghetti/tagliatelle cutters on either side of the machines. It is important they are both attached, to balance the weight of the machine. They simply slip into place on the front and back of the machine.

Step eleven

Next choose what size spaghetti or tagliatelle you would like to make. I went for the smaller spaghetti. Remove the handle from the main part of the machine and attach it the hole on the side of your chosen cutter.

Step twelve

Grab one of the rolled out sheets and start feeding it into your chosen cutter, turning the handle. Put a bowl underneath the machine so that it catches the spaghetti as it comes out.

Step thirteen

Almost there! Now put a pot of water on your stove to simmer. Once it is simmering gently, drop your pasta in. It will only need about 2-3 minutes, so keep an eye on it! Taste to see what softness your prefer. Drain the water and add your sauce! Voila!

I added a red wine and mushroom tomato sauce to my spaghetti, sprinkling fresh olives and plum tomatoes, and drizzling on some homemade pesto!

Cleaning

• To clean the machine, use paper towels or a DRY cloth to wipe down any dust, flour or oil, making sure to get into all the cracks. Do not use any water or fluid on the machine, as this will cause rust.
• To clean the main part of the machine, you can feed a paper towel through the gap.
• For the cutter parts, use the brush that is included in the set to get into all the cracks.

Ever wondered why someone might borrow things instead of buying them? What’s so great about SHARE? Well, there are 4 main reasons why it’s better to borrow instead of buy. Whether that’s borrowing at SHARE:Frome, or borrowing from friends and family!

1. Save the environment

Did you know that in 2019, SHARE:Frome was able to save 199 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, 254 tonnes of raw material use and 22 tonnes of manufacturing waste! By borrowing items from SHARE or your friends and family, you are saving unnecessary production of new materials, such as plastic and metal. The production of these materials and new products emits a large amount of greenhouse gases, all contributing to global warming. Not only that, by extending the life of these useful items, you are avoiding them being thrown into landfill! At SHARE:Frome, we make it a priority to repair as much as possible before our items come to the end of their lives. Keep a look out in the future for our Repair Cafe’s, a great way to get your own items fixed!

2. Save money

Many of our items are as little as 50p for a day, so instead of buying a badminton set for £10, why not borrow it for a weekend for £1? And the original cost of many of our items are quite expensive, such as our dehumidifiers worth £250 or carpet cleaners worth £160, so by borrowing a dehumidifiers for £16 a week, you could save around £200, if you only borrow it once or twice a year. And to borrow a carpet cleaner for only £12.50 a day, twice a year could save you around £100! In 2019, we were able to save our members all together £13,6029, by borrowing instead of buying!

And don’t forget that if you are currently on benefits, you could be eligible for our Low Income membership, for only £1 a year, saving you 75% off all borrows. That’s only £3.13 for a one day carpet cleaner loan! Our Student membership is also £1 for the year and saves you 10% off all borrows!

3. Save space 

Ever got frustrated by the fact that your juicer you use once in a blue moon, takes up so much space? Or trying to fit your lawnmower back in the shed every year? By borrowing instead of buying, these kinds of items are a great way to save space in your home! Who needs to buy a dehydrator when you could just borrow one from SHARE? Why not try it out first before buying one? This is also great for moving house, or when your house is being renovated. Need a temporary hob or oven while your kitchen is a no-go zone? We have a range to choose from! 

4. Connect to community

The last reason to SHARE, but certainly not least, is the wonderful sense of community it brings. We all have felt the loneliness that came along with the pandemic. We now feel the importance of community more than ever. Simply asking your friends and family if they have a drill you could use or offering to fix a broken hedge trimmer, can brighten your day, as well as theirs. But being a member of SHARE:Frome, whether you are a regular borrower, volunteer or supporter of our ethos, helps to grow and strengthen the community of Frome. A conversation, a laugh, a lending hand, a donation, a tutorial on how to use an item, a quick repair, are all small but powerful moments of connection that all make up a strong and resilient community!

Join now and start borrowing!

Ever wondered what happens when you sign up as a volunteer at SHARE:Frome? Once you sign up, either by sending us a Volunteer Application or coming into the shop to have a chat about how you’d like to help, here is a little guide on what a normal volunteering day at SHARE:Frome looks like!

What days and how long would you like to volunteer?

First, we will decide how long you’d like to volunteer each week and which days suit you best. We like to have our volunteers come for one open day each. It’s good to have a set day, such as Saturday (our busiest day!) or you could alternate days, or even come in for several days if you have the time and enthusiasm!

Alternatively, if there is something very specific you would like to help out with, for example, social media, writing blog posts, creating a window display, flyering, sharpening tools, repairing electrics or PAT testing, you could volunteer just 1 or 2 hours per week!

Our library coding system

On your first day, you will be inducted in the shop, which involves showing you how we code and store all of our (over 1000) items. Just like a library of books, we like to keep everything well organised, with each item and location clearly labeled so we can find things easily. Our volunteers help us to keep this system working well, by relabeling and reorganising items so that we make the most of the space we have.

Our online loaning system

Next, you will be shown our online loaning system, Myturn, which is how we carry out borrows for our members. You will be shown how to add new items that have been donated, putting item listings into maintenance when they are broken or need a PAT test, as well as making sure each each item listing has a good, clear description and image. We also like to link a PDF manual to all the items that need it, so that members can use the items correctly

Welcoming customers and checking over items

You will also be welcoming and talking to our members as they borrow and return items. When someone loans an item, you will need to check whether is it has all it’s parts/attachments, and checking it over when it gets returned. We like to ask our members whether it worked well, if the manual was helpful and if it needs a clean.

Keeping the shop presentable!

You will also be making the sure the shop front is presentable! Updating our shop sign every few months, choosing our item of the week to display, as well as dusting items, vacuuming the shop and watering the plants! We have a selection of items from each of our 10 categories displayed, so keeping these displays new and exciting is also great!

Free subscriber membership

When you join as a volunteer, after a 3 month probation period, we will offer you a FREE subscriber membership, which saves you £3.33 a month, but also gives you 25% off all borrows. See this post for more on this membership.

Join now and start volunteering!