Andrew Dyson of Levenshulme “TimeBank” explains the whats whys and hows of an exciting social innovation.  Given what is coming our way thanks to the unmitigated disaster that is climate change, we will need these – and lots else – in every single ward of the city…

In the last few months, a group of local residents in Levenshulme came together and started a new and unique enterprise in the area – a TimeBank. A time-what, you ask? Is it like a piggy bank? The answer to that is yes…and no. The timebank is a service that allows you to swap an hour of your time for an hour of someone else’s. It’s an alternative economy, where time is the currency instead of cash. If you’ve come across services such as Freecycle or Freegle, where you swap your stuff, then you’re part way to the concept. The difference is, with the timebank you can exchange your time, skills and even ideas with other local people. You post a message with what you can offer, and what you need, contact other users and the timebank lets you keep track of your spending – if you give time to help someone else, you get time credits. If someone else helps you, you give them your credits. Everyone’s skills and labour are valued equally, as time.

So what’s it all for? After all, anyone can do a favour for a friend and get one in return, why keep count? The first answer is simple – timebanking lets you do a favour for one person, and but get help yourself from someone completely different, someone who’s in a better position to help you. So you might give your neighbour a hand with the shopping, but he can’t repair your bike, so the woman three streets away helps you with that. In turn, your neighbour helps her learn to grow vegetables. All this activity can only lead to good neighbourliness, more social contact for the most vulnerable, and improved quality of life for all – the satisfaction of helping, and the advantages of getting help. It’s also a way to mobilise the community – groups or societies can post adverts for help (e.g. a communal litter pick) and find local people who might need their specialist assistance, or want to become members. Finally everyone gains because the timebank lets people make use of assets and resources that are often overlooked or undervalued in traditional economic transactions and services.

Currently Levy Timebank has about 100 members, and we’ve been around for about 3 months, so it’s onwards and upwards from here! All kinds of people from every walk of life have got involved, and they offer and request all kinds of things – cat feeding, maths tuition, photography skills, being a gym buddy, help with shopping, and even kickboxing lessons. The more people who join, the more matches between people we’re likely to get and the more effective we will be.

In other timebanks, people have also offered the use of rooms and other assets, and some encourage businesses, charities and social enterprises to share time and resources, to make themselves more efficient and potentially more environmentally friendly as well, by making better use of buildings and people.

If you want to get involved, and live in or near Levenshulme, then please sign up at www.levytimebank.org.uk, and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/levytimebank/) and Twitter (@LevyTimebank). Although we mostly operate online, there are ways of communicating on paper for those without IT skills or access – email info@levytimebank.org.uk for details.

You can also find out more about timebanking in general at www.timebanking.org. Around Manchester there are existing timebanks in Trafford, Tameside, Harpurhey, Miles Platting, and Ladybarn, and there are about 250 nationwide.