SPRING IS the time for sorting out the house and garden. This is a summary of Ecotips gathered over the last few years.
If you are planning some DIY, then don’t purchase new tools without considering whether the Library of Things could supply your needs. For £20/year, you can borrow as many tools as you like and, perhaps more importantly, get advice from experts on how to get the task done. lotreading.myturn.com/library
Tools need sharpening? Power drill not working? Sewing machine stuck? Before buying new stuff, try the Repair Café in Central Reading which takes place on the third weekend of every month. The next one is Sunday 13 April from 12:30-16:30 at Lab, Weldale Street, Small Business Centre, Reading RG1 7BX. More dates for all repair cafés in the area on: communityrepairnetwork.org.uk/find
And, if your bicycle needs maintenance or you need a larger cycle, use the Bicycle Kitchen at Unit C10, Weldale Street for cost-effective maintenance and fully reconditioned second hand cycles. Opening hours at www.readingbicyclekitchen.org
Just need to clear things? Offering usable stuff on Freegle www.ilovefreegle.org means that others come and collect, or you can take things to a charity shop. The British Heart Foundation in Oxford Road accepts electrical goods and will collect furniture, as will other local charities. Just type ‘donate furniture reading’ into a search engine. Of course, booking a slot at Smallmead may be the answer for unusable stuff.
Need some replacement furniture? There’s a very good upcycling unit in the Thames Valley Hospice superstore in Richfield Avenue.
Be the first to comment