Circular Communities Scotland would like thank all our members, supporters and volunteers who attended the Share & Repair Gathering at the Barracks in Stirling on Thursday 5th March.

Over 80 people from the world of community sharing and repairing across Scotland came together for an inspiring day of talks, shared learning and exploration. The Share & Repair Gathering offers our members a chance to network, exchange ideas, and explore solutions to common challenges.

“It was a great day –  it has been amazing to see and hear what others are doing and that we have this wonderful network to support us.”

“Helpful to see that other organisations face similar issues and network is a chance to share learning.”

– Attendee quotes from this year’s Share and Repair Gathering.

Weren’t able to attend, or would like a recap of the day? Download our full event programme here and explore below to find resources, films, slides and links to references from speakers and contributors from throughout the full event.

Morning session

Strategic & Policy Updates. Matt Lewis, Membership Services Manager, Circular Communities Scotland

Watch the session (Intro by host Laura Anderson followed by Matt Lewis from 04:35).

References:  Circular Communities Scotland Reuse Manifesto.  Volunteer Scotland No Volunteers No Community Campaign.  Restart Project Repair & Reuse Declaration.

Sustaining & Growing Community Engagement, Jess Pepper, Founder & Director, Climate Cafe.

Download the slides here or find out more about the Climate Cafe movement.

Watch the session

Repairing and Sharing Beyond the Usual Spaces, Clare Seek, Founder & Director, Share Portsmouth.

Slides available to download here, or find out more about the Clare’s work at Share Portsmouth.

Watch the session

Scottish Repairers Forum, Greg Sutcliffe, Repair Volunteer, Remake Scotland

Greg introduced the new online Scottish Repairers Forum.  More details about the forum and how to sign up are available here.

Watch the session

Member Spotlight: Glasgow Tool Library, Chris Strachan, Co-Founder & Director

Chris presented updates about Glasgow Tool Library and shared a comparison with Fritidsbanken in Sweden. Slides available here.

Watch the session

Member Spotlight: Helensburgh Repair Hub. Gill Simpson, Helensburgh Community Hub and Lindsey Young, Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network.

Gill and Lindsey shared their experience of a collaborative approach, working with Jean’s Bothy to setting up a new repair hub. Watch their short film here.

Watch the session

PANEL DISCUSSION: What’s Next for Share & Repair in Scotland

Chris Hellawell, Edinburgh Tool Library. Amulree Welch, Remake Scotland, Jane Owens, Circular Communities Scotland.

Watch the session

Lunchtime events

The lunchtime Ask the Expert session included specialist advice on Insurance from Garry Dalton from Keegan and Pennykid, Electrical Safety by Patrick Dalgety and Optimising MyTurn Software by Cecile Levavasseur formerly of Edinburgh Tool Library.

There was also the opportunity to watch the short film by Edgefolk Productions & Danifilms The Magic of Mending about Pitlochry Repair Cafe.  See the trailer here

 

Afternoon Breakout sessions

Inclusive Volunteering

Sarah Pearce, Development & Outreach Manager for Scotland for the Heritage Network ran a workshop based on Make Your Mark‘s Inclusive Volunteering Toolkit.  See the session slides here or  access the toolkit here.

Engaging Young People

Mary Michel from Ostrero ran a creation session to explore ways of engaging with young people. See a transcription of notes from the whiteboard here, or download an AI generated thematic analysis here.

Tech Salvation

Tom Gemmill from Transition Stirling’s Reboot Project shared details about their work and led participants in a practical session to look at simple ways to extend the life of computers.

Thanks to our funders Zero Waste Scotland and Esmee Fairbairn, and to our host for the day, award winning climate activist, environmental scientist and ethical influencer Laura Anderson.

Visit our webpage to find out more about more the Share and Repair Network.