Frequently Asked Time Bank Questions

What is a Time Bank and how does it work?

Time Banks recognise that many people don’t like the idea of accepting charity but like to feel useful and able to offer something back. This scheme provides the opportunity through working on the basis of reciprocity – everyone has something to offer and neither age nor lack of mobility need exclude anyone.

This kind of exchange is not new – it has traditionally occurred amongst families and friends. All the Time Bank does is to provide a new structure for neighbourliness.

There areTime Banks throughout the UK. Ash-worth Time Bank is the ONLY Time Bank in Cheshire.

 

What do Time Bank Members Do?

To give you an idea of the possibilities, here is a sample of the kinds of services Time Bank members can exchange:

 Giving lifts Shopping or doing errands for people Doing simple housework, minor home repairs or gardening Giving time off to people caring for relatives Helping out with childcare and babysitting Telephoning people who are lonely Visiting people at home or in hospital Letter writing and helping with form filling Sharing skills in music, woodwork, fitness, computers, knitting, sewing

Are Time Bank’s primarily for the elderly?

No, anyone can be a member of the Time Bank whatever their age providing they accept that the primary aim of a Time Bank is to develop closer communities and recreate a sense of neighbourliness through the exchange of jobs. Time Banks believe that we can all contribute to our communities whatever our age.

Is it really volunteering if I get something in return?

This is a question often raised about Time Banks. It is very important to remember that the word volunteer actually refers to something done from the heart, rather than strictly without reward. The most important thing Time Banks do is to establish a structure of reciprocity by rebuilding a sense of neighbourliness and turning worthy sentiments into real social and economic forces.

Won’t Time Banks provide an excuse to cut back on services provided by government, local authorities and other statutory bodies?

The need for social services is so great that resources must be mustered from every possible quarter. Time Bank projects can’t do everything any more than government can do everything. An added benefit of a Time Bank project is that it helps to build a cohesive, stable, self-perpetuating community of self-help. Time Banks can help to turn strangers into friends and neighbours into extended family.

What about liability? What if the person providing the help is injured on the job?

Time Bank participants and employees are covered by a comprehensive insurance policy that provides for group accident cover, public and employee liability. A stipulation is that any member who will be working with children must agree to be Police checked before they can be accepted – this is a condition of the insurance as well as a sensible safeguard.