Our thinking

Share and care

6 November, 2020

Once again, we’re about to spend a lot of time at home. And if you’re anything like us, you’re going through endless cycles of cluttering and de-cluttering. If you’re about to embark on that journey again, here are a few ways to make sure your unwanted items go to a good home.

Staying connected has never been more important, and with rising levels of inequality, poverty, exclusion and unemployment, many people are at risk of isolation through digital exclusion. Last week, O2 launched a national campaign with Hubbub calling on the public to send in their old smartphones, and O2 will match each phone with a 12-month contract for free for a vulnerable person.

We all know that spending time in nature is good for mind and body, but this isn’t always accessible for those in urban areas, nor easy for those with poor health. We love the Lend and Tend garden exchange, which connects people who are unable to look after their gardens or allotments with those in dire need of some outdoor space.

We’ve been big fans of Olio for a while, the app that encourages sharing (initially leftover food to #fightfoodwaste, but now other household items too) within local communities. Although they closed up shop for the first lockdown, they have now provided new guidance about how to continue sharing items safely.

And for a little escapism in our own homes, we’re setting up a GB Book Exchange, sharing our favourite books from lockdown 1.0 for lockdown 2.0 and posting them to each other. From dystopian futures to tales of faraway lands, or perhaps unlikely characters in unlikely scenarios, we’re sharing stories that we wouldn’t necessarily take up ourselves without some prompting.

By Jennie Mitchell