Spotlight On: Llanidloes Library of Things

Llanidloes Library of Things celebrate their third birthday this month! From small, humble beginnings at a backstreet location to a move this February onto the high street, they now have over 600 members. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but they have created a valued community space for the people of Llanidloes, one that helps reduce waste and consumption, and also serves as a place where people can unite and connect on common ground.

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Who we are and why we set up a Library of Things

Hey, I’m Maya and I had the initial idea to set up Llanidloes Library of Things. I had read about other Libraries of Things (LoTs) and been inspired. I was involved in Zero Carbon Llanidloes Di-Garbon (ZCLlDG), which aims to find practical ways to help us all live more sustainable lives. We particularly liked the way Libraries of Things reduce consumption and waste and also bring communities together through sharing.

Hi, I’m Osian, and I’ve been the Project Officer for our Library of Things for around two and a half years. The LoT was set up to make it easier for people to borrow instead of buy, to reduce waste, and to bring our community together around the idea of sharing resources.

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Our journey so far

In June 2022, a couple of us went to the Llandrindod Wells LoT to see how it was run. They advised us to contact Benthyg Cymru and it was the best bit of advice we had! Benthyg Cymru provided us with all the templates, helped us think through issues, advised us about insurance and even provided a mentor to hold our hands through the setting up process. We had meanwhile managed to secure 3 months’ funding from the UK Community Renewal Fund and Llanidloes Energy Solutions (LLES).

We started out in a small backstreet location that was a bit of a hidden gem — difficult to find at first, but through word of mouth and social media, we began to grow steadily.

We did not have funding for paid staff, so we began with a small team of volunteers. Then in 2023 we were awarded two years of funding from The Royal Countryside Fund (formerly known as The Prince’s Countryside Fund). They had never heard of Libraries of Things and ours was the first they funded. Their funding enables us to employ Osian for 12 hours per week.

When Osian started, we had around 40 members and 40 items. Since then, we’ve grown to over 600 members and more than 400 items which is wonderful in a small town with a population of just 3000! Our focus has been on growing our membership and encouraging people to make the most of what we offer and to make us their first port of call before shopping online or taking things to the tip. We still have a small group of dedicated volunteers who staff the LoT once a week and who help repair, clean, and catalogue items.

Our move to a high street location in February 2025 made a huge difference. We’ve gained over 200 new members since then, and the LoT is now buzzing with regular activity. We are open every day except Sunday. We’ve surpassed our original goal of engaging 10% of the local population — by nearly 20% more — which shows just how much the community has embraced the idea of borrowing and sharing.

We have been running courses which help people to feel confident with the tools they can borrow from the LoT – Make Do & Mend, DIY for Dummies, Simple Car Maintenance, and Low Energy Cooking (using only slow cookers and air fryers). The courses have proved very popular and have helped to build the LoT membership as well.

What’s especially encouraging is that our message is reaching across all social strata — borrowing has become mainstream, and we’ve shed that old “hippie” image. People from all walks of life are embracing sustainability and supporting our mission. We even have a local lottery millionaire who chooses to borrow from us rather than buy new!

One member put it beautifully: in a time of political division, the Library of Things serves as a place where people can unite and connect on common ground.

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Plans and hopes for the future

Looking ahead, we’re focusing on:

· Involving more volunteers and giving people a chance to play an active role in the LoT's growth.

· Working more closely with local schools to help younger generations learn about sharing, sustainability, and community responsibility.

· Becoming self-sustaining — reducing our reliance on grants so that we can remain secure and community-driven for the long term.

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We have considered whether to introduce lockers to reduce the need for staffing but have rejected the idea. Llanidloes Library of Things is about building a connected and resilient community and the personal interactions and conversation are an important part of the service.

Above all, our hope is to keep building a space where people feel part of something positive — a community that shares, learns, and grows together.

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You can browse Llanidloes' entire catalogue and find out more about them here: https://llani.benthyg.cymru/.

They are open 6 days a week: weekdays 3-5pm and Saturdays 10-11am. You can find them at 27 Great Oak Street opposite the Wild Oak Cafe.

You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/llanilibraryofthings and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/llanilot/. 

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