‘At our library you can borrow drills, telescopes and life jackets’

The most useful libraries don’t just loan out books, magazines and films.

In Skipton, the concept of the Library of Things means residents of the North Yorkshire market town can borrow handy everyday items, from tools to tents and sports equipment. The idea is to promote sustainability by encouraging people to buy fewer goods they will only use occasionally.

The top borrower is Susan Mullett, who developed a DIY habit after being made redundant, when she was looking to cut back on her spending.

“It started really with DIY items, wallpaper strippers, ladders, drills, your usual kind of thing. As I got further into my DIY, I started to borrow the mitre saw to do the skirting boards.”

She added: “Now it’s my first port of call, whenever I am coming up to a big event I think to myself: ‘What can I borrow?’.”

Members pay a yearly subscription of £10 plus additional charges for more valuable equipment.

The project is run by the charity Share Skipton, whose chair Angela Monaghan said: “Generally the most popular items are things like hedge trimmers, garden strimmers, dehumidifiers and power tools, and sanders are really popular as well.

“It varies across the year, it’s seasonal, some things are really popular at Christmas, like high chairs and travel cots if grandparents have grandchildren to stay.”

Since opening in July 2024, the library has gained around 500 members with more than 1,500 loans being completed.

“Once people are members, they can borrow anything they like from the library for a week at a time,” added Ms Monaghan.

“Most things are really low-cost so it makes it really accessible for people.”

Daniel Brown, 35, has just bought a house in Skipton and is borrowing one of the library’s most popular items, a wallpaper stripper, so he can decorate his new home.

“I did consider buying one but when I saw the prices here, I thought it’s probably just worth borrowing it instead, we’re going to use it once.

“It’s £2 a week, it’s very reasonable.”

Larger items are stored in a garage unit. Mr Brown said he had also loaned a rotavator to use for work on his allotment.

“It’s the monetary aspect I guess, with things like wallpaper strippers and rotavators, you’ll pay a lot of money and probably never use it again.”

There are options for entertainment as well, such as musical instruments and garden games, while the exercise section offers golf clubs and gym equipment.

Miscellaneous items include a life jacket for dogs.

“If you want a girls’ night in, borrow the foot bath. If you want to look at the meteor showers, borrow the telescope,” added Ms Mullett.