In October, members of the Kinross-shire Repair Café had the opportunity to visit the Stirling Re-use Hub and Tool Library. The visit was both informative and inspirational, providing valuable insights for the future development of our own repair café and potential re-use initiatives in Kinross-shire. The hub houses a variety of creative spaces, including an area for twenty makers, a repair workshop, a weaving demonstration space, and office facilities. The thoughtful design and layout of the space promote sustainability, with seasonal displays greeting visitors as they enter. During our visit, the team was already preparing for the upcoming holiday season, creating sustainable Christmas decorations as part of their seasonal initiatives. It’s unfortunate that we are located some distance from Stirling, as the hub truly embodies the principles of the circular economy. The team introduced us to the Revolve Scheme and the Warnum Model, two excellent tools for advancing sustainability initiatives. Additionally, we gained useful insights on insuring re-use projects and estimating the carbon savings achieved by reducing waste through repair and reuse.

The most beneficial part of the visit was our time spent at the Stirling Tool Library. The library’s manager shared invaluable information about their tool lending system, which we found highly relevant to the future development of our own tool library in Kinross-shire. Upon joining, members sign an agreement outlining the terms for tool lending, which includes a card transaction guarantee for lost or damaged items, deposits for more expensive tools, and cleaning fees for tools that require maintenance after use. Tools are marked with invisible ink for security, and laminated instruction cards are provided to ensure safe usage. We were also informed about the plans to implement new software for inventory management and the creation of a dedicated website for the library’s operations.

Learning Outcomes

• Things to consider when setting up a tool library
• How to organise tool sharing- recording, insurance, finance
• Data protection issues?

"This visit has been a source of great inspiration for our team, helping us to understand the scope of work involved in developing a repair café and tool library in Kinross-shire. While we recognize that this will be a long-term project requiring substantial effort, especially in securing the right space and financial resources, the insights we gained from Stirling will guide us in taking the next steps. We are now better equipped with the knowledge and resources to build a sustainable re-use hub and tool library in our own community."