“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Robert Swan
If you read yesterday’s blog, you will know how guilty I feel buying new items of clothing and the immense satisfaction I get from bagging a bargain. This excitement is not restricted to clothes as today demonstrated.
My former colleague and friend, Shona, is a huge advocate of giving back to our world rather than take take take. When my school was moving to a new location, she challenged us to find scraps of paper, old craft items and anything no longer needed. Shona then delivered all these things to the Mini Scrapbox in Reepham.
The Mini Scrapbox is a small retail unit in Reepham, but with a difference! All the arts and crafts-related items have been prevented from going to landfill, knowing that people can reuse and repurpose them. Despite feeling unwell (my sore throat has now progressed to earache), I decided that heading to the Mini Scrapbox would be a fun outing for the us all. I must admit that I had never been before, but today’s visit will definitely not be our sole one.
Reepham is about a forty-minute drive for us, so we stretched our legs when we arrived and then marvelled at the treasure trove that is the shop as we walked through the door. We walked down the aisles, open-mouthed, pointing at items and nudging each other. I picked up a basket and began to fill it with things for work. The children decided to spend their pocket money in the store and rushed around initially, seeking out items with immediate appeal. After struggling to choose, they eventually slowed down and decided to spend a little more time, with the older two using their imagination, creating masterpieces in their minds with thoughts of pieces of piping, old containers, packing peanuts and strips of wood.
Half an hour later, we eventually made it to the till. I paid for an annual membership at just £10. This fee allows this amazing eco-friendly initiative to continue. With lots of items in our basket, we paid just £15! Buying these things from new would have set us back a lot more.
For fans of Last of the Summer Wine, you’ll remember how people would visit Auntie Wainwright’s shop and leave with something, whether it was the exact item they required or not. I felt like her customers today except the prices were low and I was happy with my purchases.
We will definitely be back – I’ve already got the boys nagging to return in the next month or so!
So, spending money there was definitely helping to do our bit for the world, aiming to be less wasteful and reduce our negative impact. What have you done to make a difference?
