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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£58.4K
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Spending
£52.3K
Public benefits
The direct benefits flowing from our organisations purposes include: - people being able to better maintain and improve their homes and belongings through free access to tools and equipment - saving people money versus purchasing items they will only need occasionally - building skills in DIY, making and repair within the community - improved
mental health and resilience through helping people learn new skills - reduced waste through a culture of repair - a culture of increased volunteering - a culture of increased giving and donating (over 95% of our inventory is donated by private individuals) We can demonstrate our benefits through a range of metrics including: - lending data, including financial benefits - regular membership surveys - regular volunteer surveys - annual reports - feedback forms from our classes We are not aware of any harm flowing from our purposes and in almost 3 years of operation have not identified any harm The charities primary beneficiaries are any person aged over 18 in Belfast and surrounding areas who wishes to become a member. However, in carrying out our purposes we believe that there are incidental benefits for beyond our membership. Our secondary beneficiaries are through our membership of a UK wide network of sharing projects and through our membership of the Northern Ireland Resource Network. Through these networks we provide support to community groups elsewhere who may be interested in setting up Tool Libraries or Libraries of Things. Further to this, we support other community organisations and charities with similar aims, such as Tools for Solidarity and Repair Cafe Belfast. The only private benefit that we have identified to flow from our purposes relates to donations of tools and equipment that we have received from corporate donors. These donations allow these corporations to promote their Corporate Social Responsibility through their public relations. These benefits are both incidental and necessary.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
Belfast Tool Library (BTL) carries out its purposes by operating a tool lending library and providing classes in DIY, making & repair. In addition we will also soon launch our community workshop. BTL is a membership organisation, where members of the public pay £25 per year to join and are then entitled to free tool lending from our library of
almost 1000 tools. To date we have saved our members well over £10,000 versus the cost of buying the tools and equipment which they have borrowed. We offer free membership to anyone who may be in financial hardship and unable to afford our yearly membership fee. Our members have access to our team of experienced volunteers who can advise them on the projects they plan to carry out with our tools and equipment. Through making tools and learning opportunitues available we break down the barrier to entry for many people to learn more about DIY, making and repair, thereby making our communities more self-sufficient and resilient. Our project disrupts patterns of consumption whereby people need to buy items they might use only occasionally, promoting a more circular economy. Additionally, our experienced team of maintenance volunteers have repaired and renewed many tools, diverting them from landfill and putting them in the hands of people who can make use of them.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
- The advancement of citizenship or community development
Who the charity helps
- Adult training
- General public
- Voluntary and community sector
- Volunteers
How the charity works
- Community development
- Education/training
- Volunteer development
