8 May 2012

Wellington Time Bank Reaches 100 Members

This week the Wellington Time Bank celebrated its 100th member.

The time bank, launched in October last year, has been received by the community with great enthusiasm. Although started in Wellington South, the time bank has members from 22 suburbs across Wellington. “This is an exciting milestone for us”, says Hannah Mackintosh, co-ordinator of the time bank. “It really illustrates the public demand for initiatives such as time banking.”

In a time bank, people share their skills and knowledge in exchange for time instead of money. There have been over 90 trades between members of the Wellington Time Bank. These have included language exchanges, music lessons, sewing and tailoring, IT support, companionship and driving lessons.

Time banks provide a way for people to get their needs met and have their skills valued. This can be particularly valuable for those more isolated people in our community. One member who requested companionship now has someone visit her once a fortnight. In return, she offers proof-reading to other members of the time bank.

Steering group member and time banker Anna Porter has been impressed by how well the idea has been received by other community organisations. “To see local schools, community groups and social agencies so eager to make the time bank work for their own members has been really exciting. There’s so much potential in these partnerships to create a strong and wide-reaching time bank.”

The Wellington Time Bank is based out of the Newtown Community Centre. Hannah Mackintosh, the Coordinator, works part time Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can contact the time bank on wgtn.timebank@gmail.com or (04) 920 6708

ENDS

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