Share Shed Receives National Lottery Boost

The Network of Wellbeing is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded £252,316 from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Reaching Communities programme to support its flagship project, the Share Shed – A Library of Things, over the next four years.

This funding will help deliver a transformative initiative titled “Happier People and Stronger Communities through Share and Repair in South Devon.”

Led by the Network of Wellbeing, this project will continue and expand the Share Shed’s ground-breaking work—supporting rural communities to save money, reduce waste, learn new skills, and connect through sharing and repairing.

Thanks to this vital funding, the Share Shed aims to:

• Enable thousands more people to access useful items in an affordable and convenient way.
• Provide free memberships to low-income households.
• Host multiple events to increase awareness of local sharing and repairing opportunities.
• Support people in learning practical new skills through workshops and Repair Cafés.
• Reduce CO₂ emissions by encouraging borrowing and repair over consumption.
• Strengthen local identity, wellbeing and resilience through collaborative community action.

In addition to the direct benefits to users, the project will:

• Train and support volunteers in areas like repair, publicity and event planning.
• Build the Share Shed’s financial sustainability by increasing its trading income.
• Grow partnerships with local projects, embedding a culture of sharing and cooperation across seven South Devon towns.

“We’re overjoyed to receive this support from the National Lottery Community Fund,” said Mirella Ferraz, Project Manager of the Share Shed. “This funding will enable us to help thousands of people save money, learn valuable skills, reduce their environmental impact, and feel more connected to their communities. We’re deeply grateful not only to the National Lottery, but also to everyone who has supported our work over the years—our volunteers, partners, and of course, our amazing members.”

The Share Shed – which is the world’s first mobile library of things – currently serves Totnes, Buckfastleigh, Ashburton, Dartington, South Brent, Kingsbridge and Ivybridge on a weekly basis. It enables people to borrow over 350 items, from tools and gardening equipment to household appliances, camping gear, and more, all at low cost.

This new phase will include exciting developments such as high-tech lockers for out-of-hours borrowing, expanded skill-sharing events, and deeper connections across the region’s repair and reuse movement.

For more information about the Share Shed and how to get involved, visit: www.shareshed.org.uk.