Frome Town Council recently held its second successful Swap Shop at the Cheese and Grain building in Frome. The first was held in September 2002 in conjuction with a Recycling roadshow. This was so successful that local people asked for the Swap Shop to become a regular event. Similiar events had previously been held in Wiltshire, but Frome is the first town in Somerset to arrange these.
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The Swap Shop promotes the re-use of unwanted clothing, toys, books or household items. The idea is that everyone brings to a chosen venue e.g a village or church hall, anything which they no longer have a use for but which might be of use to others. In essence it's a car boot sale or bring and buy without money changing hands. Anyone who brings something into the Swap Shop can take anything which they would like. If there is nothing they want, they come back later in the day if they wish, as many times as they like. |
In Frome, which is a large town with over 25,000 population, a cloakroom ticket was given for each item brought in and the items are then put on display. Items are exchanged throughout the day.
Reusable cotton bags were also on sale at a subsidised price of £1 each for customers to be able to take their items home in. The Somerset Waste Action Programme provided display materials for the event, with statistics and awareness raising posters to compliment the reuse theme.
As volunteers ran the Swap Shop - town councillors and staff in the case of Frome - the events cost very little to run. A cafe operates in the Cheese and Grain building and they also enjoyed the extra trade generated. In a village, basic refreshments could perhaps be provided in aid of village hall funds or a local charitable organisation. As many people stopped to chat with organisers and other participants, a cup of tea was very welcome.
To make the event fun for children, competitions or entertainment can be added. At the first event in Frome, a story-telling corner was provided, where children listened to stories with a re-cycling theme. A children's sculpture competition was also held, with children from different age groups being required to produce a model from recycled materials and to list them all. prizes for the competition were mostly donated. The competition was extremely popular.
With Spring-cleaning in mind, others might like to hold a Swap Shop. Anyone needing further information can contact Sheila Rae, Town Clerk for Frome Town Council. Tel: 01373 465757 or e-mail frome-tc@frome-tc.demon.co.uk
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