The more people share their time and skills, the healthier and happier your neighbourhood will become. With time banking, everyday acts of kindness are recognised as the important contribution they are to everyone’s wellbeing.

Time banking is a new and safe framework for people to connect up with each other, a letter of introduction to neighbourhood life.

1. People list the skills and experience which they can offer and those that they may need.

2. Everyone’s skills are valued equally - one hour always equals one time credit.

3. Everyone agrees to both give and to receive help, to earn and to spend their time credits.

4. A record is kept of all the time credits earned and spent, ideally on computer using the ‘Time Online’ system.

5. Everyone is encouraged to spend their time credits to allow others the chance to make a difference and feel needed.

Everyone can chip in what they can, when they can and be valued for the contributions they make.

We have found that at first many people do not appreciate that they have skills that will be of value to others. We devised a skills and needs questionnaire (see next sheet) to overcome this and if you sit down and go through it with them, people soon understand that they have a lot to offer.

Feel free to adapt it and use it to unlock the rich supply of time, skills and experience that are already there in your local area just waiting to be put to good use. There are no limits to what you can achieve together.