Spotlight on: Benthyg Llandaff North and Gabalfa

The path to setting up a Library of Things (LoT) is often a labour of love. Finding space, building awareness, and raising funds are not always straightforward, but our newest member - Benthyg Llandaff North and Gabalfa - has weathered the course and opened the latest Cardiff location. Serving the CF14 postcode (and beyond), the LoT will be entirely run by local people on a voluntary basis. Co-Founder Russell Todd shares his experiences with us.

Who are you and why did you set up a Library of Things?

We’re a group of environmentally-minded local people who tend to already be involved in community activism of different kinds. A couple of us are involved with the Friends of Hailey Park group in Llandaff North and we first approached Benthyg Cymru about the potential of a LoT in our community just before the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic then placed things on hold for a little while, but we remained keen on the idea. Benthyg Cymru’s National Lottery-funded cost of living project offered us the opportunity to put plans together. We have set up an independent organisation – Benthyg Llandaff North and Gabalfa – to run the LoT and have joined the Benthyg Cymru network.

What has the journey been like so far? What kind of challenges have you faced?

Slower than we would have hoped!

We had very quickly secured a 20-foot shipping container as a social value contribution to the community from contractors working on the local railways. However, we struggled to identify a suitable location for it in the community and eventually had to pass up the container. This was frustrating enough, but as we were engaging with the community and gauging its interest in a LoT it was clear there was an appetite. Moreover, we were getting offers of donations, bu twith nowhere to store things we had to tun these down or ask if people could patiently wait.

Who has helped along the way?

Several individuals and organisations, but principally Cardiff Draconians Football Club who got wind of our frustrations in looking for a location for the shipping container and offered us its ‘boot room’, a small single-story building in Gabalfa used by the club, variously, as a changing room, clubhouse, and storage. They pay only a peppercorn rent themselves and so our overheads are limited, merely requiring a contribution for electricity.

An early favoured location for the shipping container was on the grounds at the Llandaff North & Gabalfa Hub. The management and staff of the Hub were engaged early on in this process and although ultimately our LoT is elsewhere, they have remained very supportive and have been very helpful in raising awareness. We have also installed some cage lockers at the hub to help with raising publicity.

Benthyg Cymru has been very supportive in providing advice, making its toolkit available and also with funding connections. Dŵr Cymru has also provided some funding from its local community fund attached to its work in Hailey Park. 

What are your plans and hopes for the LoT?

Simply to get established in the community and to be used regularly by as many people as possible; to help them save money and live less consumerist lives. The vacant retail premises on Gabalfa Avenue could be a place to establish a bigger and more retail-style location in a few years. In the meantime, however, we’re keen to support other local groups, events, and community action, including offering the boot room as a litter-picking hub for Keep Wales Tidy volunteers.

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With lots of community support and a fantastic catalogue of items, we hope local residents enjoy having a LoT on their doorstep. Benthyg Llandaff North and Gabalfa will be open every Friday between 10am and 1pm with a second day of the week identified after ongoing consultation with the community. It is free to become a member and items are on offer for a small fee. Borrowers can sign up either online or in person by calling into the Boot Room on Llanidloes Road in Gabalfa.

Most recent borrows include a dehumidifier, combi ladder, surform, and air fryer, but there's lots more to explore: Llandaff North and Gabalfa | Ystum Taf a Gabalfa | Benthyg

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