Swap Shop

Christmas Eve Food Sharers & Swap Shop

REDEEM FUNDS AND WELLINGBOROUGH ECO GROUP

Saturday 24th December 6-8:30pm at ECO HUB, Glamis Hall

It will be the night before Christmas, and as the supermarkets close for the festive break, all of their unsold food needs saving. So when asked by our friends and partners at Redeem Funds, if we can open up to help them to collect and share this unsold food, we said yes…

Food Sharers

This Food Sharers is a Redeem Funds Christmas special, ALL donations will go towards their food bank appeal. Donations will be asked for for all food items just as if you were going to Cowper or Shakespeare Road. This could be mighty, this is a real Christmas treat for all!

We are collecting at 5:30 and aiming to be open for 6 if all things run smooth, with top ups through till when we close at 8:30 as Redeem helpers sort out as we go. We’ll have fresh fruit and veg, chilled items, and even frozen too, thanks to Glamis Hall lending us a chest freezer. There’s no need to panic, there should be plenty and we’ll be there for you all.

This evening is almost all about festive food, but just to make it twice as nice for you lovely people coming out on Christmas Eve, and because some of us might have forgotten to get something, our full Wellingborough Swap Shop will be on for everyone too.

There are lot’s of toys, teddies, books, DVDs, clothes and household items, all for swaps or donations. The LIVE Team’s Free Coats for Kids rail is out too! The Swap Shop will be separate from the Food Sharers, any donations will go towards keeping the ECO HUB open.

All set up and waiting for the food saved from local supermarkets…

And there’s more…

Because it’s Christmas, we have Christmas crackers from the Co-op, festive music and gift packs of various goat milk soaps from Food Loop for free! Join us on Christmas Eve, 6-8:30pm at ECO HUB Glamis Hall for festive food, swaps and treats for all! See you there…

Swap Shop

We open today’s Advent Calendar window for Wellingborough Swap Shop, our local exchange where you can get something you want by swapping things you no longer need or by making a small donation. It takes place this afternoon, 2-6, at ECO HUB, Glamis Hall.

Here, Jonathan shows you around the Swap Shop this afternoon.

You could describe it as a kind of bring-and-buy sale with the option to swap. Participants do not need to bring anything in order to take away goods, a pay as you feel donation to Wellingborough Eco Group works too.

Our ‘Swap Shop’ recognises that things no longer wanted by someone, might be another person’s treasure. By reusing things we cut down on the amount of waste that goes into landfill and reduce the amount of resources that we use in manufacturing of new products. And it saves money!

What you offer is entirely up to you, as long as it’s legal, not hazardous or not a pet. Examples include: clothes, books, DVDs and CDs, kitchenware, pictures, tools, gardening items, curtains and other soft furnishings, children’s toys and baby items. There is something for everyone.

Join in at ECO HUB, Glamis Hall, this and every Tuesday 2-6pm, this week we have lots of good quality clothes, toys, books, DVDs and household items in stock, all available for swaps or a small donation, plus all this:

Our Food Sharers are there with lots of saved food from supermarkets, including Co-op and from Redeem Funds and Glamis Hall.
Wellie Wombles have ‘Tuesday Tidy Ups’ every week where you can borrow pickers and take bags for litter picking.
The LIVE Team have a ‘free coats for kids’ rail, so don’t let your children go out and get cold.
We are a Winter Warm Space, pop in for a warm up, the kettle’s on if you fancy a coffee or tea.

See you there…

LOTS ON THIS WEEK- JOIN IN!

Join us at ECO HUB, Glamis Hall for all of this…

Tuesday 2-6pm

Tuesday Tidy Ups
Wellingborough Swap Shop
Food Sharers

Wednesday 1-3pm

Eco-Crafters

Thursday 12-2pm

Happy Café
Replay Board Games
Energy Savers

Thursday 6-8pm

Happy Poems Workshop

Thursday 6:30-9pm

Wellie Wombles Winter Warmer (at Castello Lounge)

Friday 12-3pm

Eco Club for Kids

Saturday 9am-12 noon

Repair Café
Baby Swap Shop (at Glamis Hall Indoor Boot Sale)

Sunday 12-4

Vegan Food Sharers (at Animals In Need Northamptonshire Vegan Food and Cruelty Free Fair)

Join in, get involved, go ECO HUB!

One World Week Event at Victoria Centre

JOIN US THIS SATURDAY 11-3 FOR WELLINGBOROUGH SWAP SHOP AND MORE…

The good people at the Victoria Centre are holding an event for One World Week, and this time the theme is sustainability. They have lots of local organisations joining them, including Wellingborough Eco Group, Wellingborough Climate Action Project, Dostiyo Npton, Wellingborough Lions, Wellingborough Town Council and Made With Many.

We will be starting early with our monthly Two Hour Tidy Up, setting up our Recycling Station at 9:30 to litter pick with Wellie Wombles the surrounding area 10-12. Our stall will include Wellingborough Swap Shop, with an array of household items, toys, DVDs/CDs and books; all available for swaps or donations.

There will also be lots of information on our stall about our activities at ECO HUB, where you can find out more about us and how to get involved. Do join us and the many other organisations at the Victoria Centre this Saturday (29th) 11-3.

Swap Shop at Animals in Need Open Day!

Join us on Sunday, 11th September, 12-4 at Animals In Need Northamptonshire, Little Irchester, for their Summer Open Day. We will be there with lot’s of great second hand items, all for swaps or donations…

There will be loads of great stalls, including vegan food and a house plant stall too, all in aid of quite possibly the best charity in the county! Every penny raised will go to looking after the animals.

Do join us for great swaps, food and bargains, see you there!

Repair Cafes re-start this Saturday!

Wellingborough Eco Group and Glamis Hall host Repair Cafes, during the Indoor Car Boot Sales, both of which re-start on Saturday 10th September from 9am -12 midday, plus there’s a Baby Bring and Buy Sale at ECO HUB!

Repair Cafes are community events that match people who need stuff fixed with people who like fixing things. Repair Cafes are completely non-commercial. There are no promises and no guarantees, but if something can be saved the repairers will give it their best efforts. Repairers are always keen to teach you how to do the repair – or at least have you watch while they do it.

There is no charge for entry or repair but donations are gratefully received and help pay for costs. You can basically bring anything you can carry that will not make a mess in the venue. Here are some suggestions:

A bicycle, clothing in need of repair, small electrical or electronic appliances, lamps, toys, mobile phones, laptops, printers, items that need gluing, a clean/repair etc.

Whatever it is, it might not even be broken – just dirty, and you don’t know how to clean it without damaging it – or you can’t work out how to use it without the manual – bring it along.

Plus there’s more…

Come too for the Indoor Car Boot Sales and Baby Bring and Buy Sale at our new ECO HUB! There will be loads of bargains to be had from the many stalls at the Indoor Car Boot Sale; and if that wasn’t enough, Wellingborough Swap Shop has a massive Baby Bring and Buy Sale on at ECO HUB next door!

Come to get something fixed and get some bargains. See you on Saturday Morning!

New ECO HUB Opens in September

We are very excited to announce ECO HUB, the new home for Wellingborough Eco Group! Opening from 1st September 2022 and available 7 days a week at Glamis Hall in the Community Room for lots of events and activities.

Heather Saunders, Chair of Trustees at Glamis Hall and Jonathan Hornett, Secretary of Wellingborough Eco Group, signed the lease this week for this exciting new facility. And other Eco Group members joined in, including Emma who is looking to run a couple of projects from the ECO HUB.

We will be expanding our current projects and introducing lots more, all focused on improving our environment and helping local people. New projects on the way include an eco craft group, an eco kids group, veggie/vegan food events, cooking demonstrations, Energy Savers workshops, a spoken word poetry club and more of of current projects.

So, join in, get involved, go ECO HUB!

Swap Shop – Time to Change

Firstly we would like to thank Kat for her efforts over the last six months, together we changed swap shop into the weekly bring, swap and buy sale at Glamis Hall, plus we took food out of the Swap Shop and called it Food Sharers to focus on saving food from going to waste. Kat has left to concentrate on her Baby Bank and Wilby food projects and we wish her all the best.

The last couple of months have been a muddle and it’s clear that we simply can’t do it all until we get more organised. We are drowning in donations of clothes and baby items, so we are going to clear these. The first change to Swap Shop is to stop doing Baby Bank, because we do not have the space. The second change is to also stop doing clothes, again because of space, but also because because it’s a mess.

** Please don’t donate any clothes or baby items to us anymore **

Our decent clothes and baby items are being sorted and will be donated to local charity shops or groups, our clothes that are less saleable will be sold as textiles. Larger and more valuable items will be listed on our Swap Shop Facebook group and our online Swap Shop. We will focus on finding new homes for household items, entertainment and toys.

We are setting up a permanent ‘Glamis Hall Library‘ in the foyer to the Community Room, with book cases full of books, CDs and DVDs, plus we will have a ‘WOW Board‘ – a ‘What’s on Wellingborough‘ information board that has info and leaflets about Wellingborough Eco Group, Glamis Hall and other local community services and events. This is available online already! The library and board will be there for every group that uses the Community Room.

Food Sharers

Food Sharers is changing too, we will no longer sell food, drink and cleaning products unless they are environmentally friendly alternatives. To this end we will also be listing all products for sale on our Food Sharers Facebook group, and our online Food Sharers Shop so you can click and collect to collect on Tuesday afternoons or browse what we have. Have a look!

We will continue to save food from landfill by continuing to offer food for free, but the food on offer will change and may be interrupted as we reconnect with food sharing partners and seek new retailers to get donations. Food Sharers is not a food bank and never has been, it was set up as a swap and share service, and this is how it will proceed. We will also be proving more information about other food sharers on our WOW Board.

Tuesday Tidy Ups and Fairtrade Café

The changes to Swap Shop and Food Sharers are being done to make them more environmentally friendly, but also to to give our Wellie Wombles and other visitors a bit more room to sit and have a cup of tea or coffee. Tuesday Tidy Ups and our Fairtrade Café will be running as normal, but with more of a focus on sharing information with each other. Tea and Coffee will continue to be provided by Jonathan, Co-op Member Pioneer in Wellingborough.

So, see you on Tuesday afternoons, 2-6 at Glamis Hall’s Community Room for Swap Shop, Food Sharers, Tuesday Tidy Ups and Fairtrade Café, plus Glamis Hall Library and the WOW Board! Lots going on, lots saved from landfill and loads of people helped too. See you there!

Swap Shop Big Summer Clear Out

As you may all have seen and noticed by now that we have a LOT of lovely things at Glamis Hall’s Community Room that we can’t always get out; well, this Tuesday (5th July) 2-6 will be Wellingborough Swap Shop’s Big Summer Clear Out.

Bring 1 bag, bring £2, bring yourself and fill your bag with clothes, books, DVDs, bric-a-brac and toys. Larger items will be priced but nothing more than £5!

We will even arrange a free section (outside if weather permits) so please take from there last, as these items will count towards your £2 bag if taken first.

We will still be accepting your swaps and donations but let’s clear down so we can get new things in for you. See you at Glamis Hall’s Community Room this Tuesday 2-6.

So: YOU + 1 bag – £2 = go go go!!

Swap Shop and Repair Café

Great morning today in Glamis Hall’s Community Room, nice to see lots of new faces! Our Repair Café looked at 3 printers, a lamp, a toaster, a hoover and a clock!

Saturday Swap Shop had loads of stuff too, so much so we had books, DVDs and toys outside! Lots of fun (and sun) thank you Kat, Judy, Simon and Jonathan for your help.

Swap Shop is back again with Tuesday Tidy Ups, Baby Bank and Food Sharers on Tuesday afternoon 2-6pm, see you there!