June 6, 2024

Spotlight on: Barry Benthyg

  1. Barry Benthyg is one of the longest running Library of Things in the Benthyg Cymru network. Based in South Wales, it is run by Awesome Wales founders Amy & Stuart. Barry Benthyg has been open since 2022 and is a fantastic example of how having a Library of Things alongside other projects can build a successful service for the community.  
  2. This month we talk to Amy Greenfield, Director of Awesome Wales Enterprises C.I.C.  
  3. Who/What is Awesome Wales?  
    Awesome Wales is a social enterprise based in Barry town centre. We are focused on providing eco friendly products and projects for our local community. This includes a preloved kids shop, cleaning refills station, community food cooperative, cloth nappy library and the Benthyg Library of Things for Barry. We are owned and run by local people, ensuring that we can best meet the needs of our community.  

  4. How did the idea of having a Library of Things come about?
    When we first opened Awesome Wales in 2019 we were keen to find premises that had enough space to accommodate a Library of Things in Barry town centre. We've always been passionate about making conscious consumer choices easily accessible to our local community. Barry Benthyg opened in December 2021; since then we have lent over 1000 items to members of the local community. Benthyg is a brand new concept for a lot of our customers, its sparked a lot of conversations around how making small changes in our consumption habits can make a significant positive impact on the environment.  
     
    Speaking from experience. What makes your Library of Things work?  
  5. The biggest strength of our Library of Things is our location, being in the middle of the town centre means that our project is visible to everyone who shops on the high street. Our Benthyg window displays are some of our most popular, making it a talking point for everyone who walks past. We're also very well supported by our team of volunteers who help to maintain the Library of Things and publicise the items that have been donated.  
  6. What would you do differently?
    If we could do one thing differently, we would have more space to display the Benthyg inventory on the shop floor to ensure that all of our items can be viewed by store customers and promote even more borrows.  
     
    How has being a member of the Benthyg Cymru network benefitted you?
    The Benthyg Cymru network has been invaluable, helping us to set up the initial inventory, training our staff and volunteers on the Lend Engine software, supporting us with funding applications and working together on community events to promote the project. It took a lot of the hard work out of setting up the project, especially having support on design and social media, insurance queries and electrical safety testing.  
     
    How does it work having a shop and Library of Things in the same place?
    Having Benthyg based at Eto preloved kids store is the perfect partnership. It means that hundreds of local families can see the Benthyg project items while they're shopping for clothes, toys and books for their children. This helps to take Benthyg out into our local community and showcase the project to people who may not usually engage with eco projects. Everyone who we tell about the project thinks it's a brilliant initiative and wants to know more. It also works the other way around, where Benthyg borrowers find out about Eto by popping in to pick up an item.  
     
    What happens in your space?
    At Eto we're a real community hub, our space hosts lots of projects including Vale Baby Basics who are the baby bank for the county, alongside our kids preloved store, the cloth nappy library and the Library of Things. We also have a community cafe space that hosts lots of groups and activities including Awesome Crafters, Eco Mums and Tums and Metalidads 'let there be talk' men's mental health group.  
     
    What are your most popular items?
    Our most popular borrows are our carpet cleaners, pressure washers and DIY tools, items that lots of people can't afford to buy outright or don't have space to store in their homes. We also have lots of families who borrow our party packs so that they don't need to buy disposable plates and cups. We've also got a lot of customers who grow their own fruit and veg, so the dehydrator is also very popular for preserving food and making tasty fruit snacks.  
  7. Great insight Amy, thank you. Make sure you check out Eto in Barry if you’re in the area.  
  1. And, as always, if you’d like any more information about setting up your own library of things, get in touch at: info@benthyg-cymru.org