6219 Educators providing Arts & Crafts courses

Share and Repair

share and repair

Bath

Library of Things and Repair Cafes. We are currently (as of Spring 2021) introducing HOW TO Reduce your Carbon Footprint workshops within the Share and Repair Shop and as a pilot project within primary schools. Another strand of ‘sharing’ is our Library of Things. We started this at the Weston Hub in November 2018 and changed our official name to Share & Repair in line with our expanded vision. We become a charity: In April 2020, Share and Repair gained charitable status as a CIO (charitable incorporated organisation) no 1189015. This is a major milestone for us and means we are accountable and can now raise funds through grant making trusts and from Gift Aid. We opened our first pop-up shop: In June 2020 we hit another major milestone when we opened the doors to the Share and Repair Shop in the centre of Bath. Our first location on Broad Street had an incredible response, raising awareness of sharing and repairing in Bath. In August 2021 we moved to another location at 3 York Buildings, George Street (BA1 2EB), which is now the new home for the Bath Library of Things and a place where we run even more repair sessions. HomeKIT launches: In Spring 2021 we officially launch HomeKIT. This is a new project that will see us taking donations of good-quality but unwanted kettles, irons and toasters and sharing these ‘home kits’ with partner charities who will distribute them to low-income households. If items need repairing, we certainly have the skills and means to do so. We’re really excited about expanding our work in this way and working with other organisations.

The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL)

the museum of english rural life (the merl)

4.6(146)

Reading

The Museum of English Rural Life is owned and managed by the University of Reading. We use our diverse and surprising collection to explore how the skills and experiences of farmers and craftspeople, past and present, can help shape our lives now and into the future. We work alongside rural people, local communities and specialist researchers to create displays and activities that engage with important debates about the future of food and the ongoing relevance of the countryside to all our lives. We were established by academics in the Department of Agriculture in 1951 to capture and record the rapidly changing countryside following World War II. The Museum is based on Redlands Road in a building originally designed by Sir Alfred Waterhouse in 1880 for local businessman Alfred Palmer, of the Huntley & Palmer biscuit company. The house then became St Andrews Hall of Residence in 1911, and in 2005 a modern extension was built onto the house for the Museum. The Museum was awarded £1.8million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in 2014 for the redevelopment of the galleries, reopening in October 2016. The redevelopment strengthens and renews our links with agriculture as well as enhancing our position in supporting engagement opportunities for students and academics across a wide variety of disciplines, nationally and internationally. The MERL and Reading Museum are currently in a strategic partnership as part of the Arts Council England National Portfolio 2018-2022. As Museums Partnership Reading we work together to provide cultural opportunities for Reading’s young people and diverse communities, through schools, volunteering, digital engagement and exhibitions. PLANS AND POLICIES