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Borrow don’t buy is back

AFTER months of being closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown, Borrow Don’t Buy is open again and offering delivery. Borrow Don’t Buy is Plymouth’s Library of Things, a place where you can borrow items that you need to use, but might not need to own. They have a diverse inventory with items from camping equipment to power tools and more. Borrow Don’t Buy helps their members save money, reduce clutter, and reduce their carbon footprint while strengthening their community. Their mission is for everyone to have access to the stuff they need, without it costing the earth. Borrow Don’t Buy, was shut down over the Covid19 period but has continued to push the sharing agenda in other ways by partnering up with local community builders Nudge to bring upcycled tech to people who really need it in Plymouth. Plymouth community helpers have been collecting up unused and dusty laptops, smartphones, and tablets from kind people around Plymouth and delivering them to the fixer elves at Borrow Don’t Buy, so they can be given a new lease of life. Over a hundred devices were refurbished and donated back to families to tackle technology poverty in Plymouth. One of Borrow Don’t Buy’s Directors said: “We already have loads of resources, knowledge, and skills in Plymouth, we just need to share them more! A Library of Things is a place to bring people together and encourage everyone to do so.” l For more information visit www.borrowdontbuy. co.uk. Borrow Don’t Buy is open on Wednesdays from 11 am- 6 pm by appointment only.

Counselling and wellbeing hub sets up in Ivybridge

ASK anyone who has participated in counselling training what the long term benefits are, and they will say that learning about listening, really listening, showing empathy, not judging others and being genuine in your interactions are fantastic skills to have. Plus there’s the benefit of applying counselling skills to your own life, your working life, and your community life. The Devon Counselling and Wellbeing Hub have been running accredited counselling training in Plymouth and Cornwall since it was set up by Course Director Mark Hartshorn in 2015. The organisation has gone from strength to strength and has managed to work through the Covid19 crisis by offering it’s courses online with great results. Although the online delivery of it’s courses went well, Mark and team recognised that counselling training is best delivered in person in a training room and so wanted to be able to continue with this way of delivering training. With this in mind a new home for the hub was found at The Clay Factory on the edge of Ivybridge. Mark Hartshorn said: “At the Clay Factory, we have two training rooms, a breakout room, kitchen and a fantastic balcony with far reaching views over south Devon. “It is great to be part of the community at the Clay Factory and to be able to return to the classroom for our courses this autumn. Our vast new space enables us to meet in a socially distanced and safe way and it has enabled us to continue with our highly acclaimed courses in a training room, rather than online”. Mark added: “If the need arises, we can easily switch back to online provision, but we are committed delivering our training in person as relationships are central to effective counselling work and so we want to provide an environment where meeting in person is possible.” The hub delivers counselling training from beginner right up to post qualifying courses for counsellors who are already qualified and this year, and will be offering the new BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) Approved Practitioner Qualification, which provides an easier progression route onto a recognised register of counsellors, post qualifying and the recognition of one of the country’s biggest counselling membership organisations. The hub also plans to branch out into offering courses and workshops on a range of wellbeing services during the coming months. l If you are interested in learning more about what the hub has to offer, visit the website www.devonandcornwallcounsellinghub.org or call 01752 492174.