Nigel Cannings, a local resident, has started a local website for people to share unused items. He says, “I’ve got involved with freesharing.org and agreed to put together a web template for people to start their own FreeSharing groups. As a result of which, I am pleased to announce that I have started Richmond’s first FreeSharing group.”

What is FreeSharing? It is like FreeCycle in the sense that it encourages people to donate unwanted items to other local people, rather than throw them away.

The difference between FreeSharing and FreeCycle is that FreeCycle is a very structured and proscriptive organisation (you can’t, for example, say you are a FreeCycle group without approval, which rather defeats the grass roots feel of the thing). FreeSharing is much looser, and is self-regulating.

If you are interested, check out Richmond FreeShare or for infomation about FreeSharing, go to freesharing.org.