Last updated at 10:49, Saturday, 03 October 2009

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Throwing something away? STOP!!
If you live in Penrith and Eden District, please join your local online Freegle group, and offer your reusable items to other group members. Items must be legal and appropriate, and given away for free.

Jon Colborne of Milburn wanted a racing bike to do up as a part of his City and Guilds course. He got it from Chris Cant for free. "Many, many thanks for the bike. It will be the subject of my C&G project at the end of the month and then it will be time for the hills of the Eden Valley! Just what was required."

The Penrith and Eden District group was formed in January 2007 - people can join for free by going to its Yahoo group page, or www.PenrithEdenFreegle.org.uk or  www.ilovefreegle.org.  In September the group welcomed its 2,000th member, a feat in itself with a district population of 52,000.

Once a member, you can post a message to OFFER an item, or post a WANTED if you'd like something. With any luck, someone will reply to your offer by email. When you've chosen who to give it to, arrange a safe hand-over and post a TAKEN message so that people know it's gone.

The Penrith and Eden Freegle group is run by local volunteer moderators and is run on a Yahoo web site. When you sign up, make sure that you give an Alternative Email address if you want to use your existing email. If you need any help, get in touch with the moderators using the email link at the group web site. Sign up today to help yourself and the environment.

After consulting with its members recently, the group changed its affiliation from The Freecycle Network to the new Freegle network of groups across the UK.  Juliet Gray, one of the Penrith and Eden moderators said, "With the most dynamic UK volunteers in Freegle, we felt that this was the best network to help us as moderators and therefore serve the community in our shared aim of ensuring unwanted things are re-used, not thrown away."

It is estimated that the Penrith and Eden Freegle group could save up to 5 tonnes from landfill each month.

Conserve the world's resources - don't add to landfill.

First published at 22:32, Sunday, 27 September 2009
Published by http://www.penrithlocal.co.uk