​Fair Shares is a local Gloucestershire charity that runs community time banks. Time banks are a way for people to get involved with others in the community by sharing their time and helping each other out. It’s a form of two way volunteering; give some time to help someone with something and in return someone can help you.

What they do

• Participants helping each other through acts of kindness and good neighbourliness, like doing someone's shopping or taking them to the doctors
• Sharing skills, interests and hobbies with others or developing them together, like photography or woodworking
• A youth project where young people contribute to the community
• Creating a space where people can belong, feel valued and grow
• During the pandemic supporting people through meals and food, with participants cooking and delivering hot healthy meals every day to those who are struggling

Between March and December 2020 Fair Shares:

Cooked and delivered 12,200 meals
Provided 350 food parcels
Supported over 600 people 
82 people helped to make this happen
Giving over 4000 hours of their time

For more information and current operating hours visit Fair Shares | Time Bank Resource Sharing Gloucestershire or call ​01452 415900.

"Fair Shares has always been about connecting people and finding ways for people to share their skills, interests and acts of kindness to make everyone’s life better. It’s about how we value people and the time they give. It’s different to traditional volunteering in that everyone is encouraged to give their time to help and everyone can also benefit from the help of others. We’ve tried to rethink those old acts of charity into a community endeavour to look after itself by supporting itself. I’ve seen how this has meant it’s easier for people to accept help because they know they are part of a community where their contribution is just as important and valued.

For Fair Shares, 2021 is about looking forward and looking towards the opportunities that may present themselves. We know things have been bad and we know it's not over yet. But if life through the lockdown has shown us anything it's that the kindness of people and the desire to help others is stronger than ever. I've personally been overwhelmed with the generosity that has come our way and with just how much people want to do something positive. For 2021 our challenge is to harness and channel all that good will and enthusiasm and direct it back into our communities so that everyone can flourish."

Reyaz, Time Broker for Fair Shares

Working with Gloucestershire Gateway Trust - commitment

Fair Shares Community Time Banks have been a core-funded partner of Gloucestershire Gateway Trust since inception, receiving an annual Community Development Grant from us every year for five years, committed until 2022.  This is made possible thanks to our stake in Gloucester Services on the M5, we receive up to 3p in every £1 of non-fuel sales which we invest in local communities.
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​Fair Shares committed to using the funding from GGT to support the Gloucester and Stroud area timebanks to enable them to triple the amount of time banking activity in Matson and Robinswood, White City, Tuffley, Podsmead and Stonehouse.