Leith Time Bank lets neighbours trade an hour of help for an hour of help

What is the background?

A time bank lets members “deposit” hours by helping someone else, then “withdraw” equivalent hours of help when they need it themselves, treating everyone’s time as equally valuable no matter the task. Time banking Edinburgh groups like Leith Time Bank apply this model at neighbourhood level, run by local community organisations rather than a national charity.

What happened?

Leith Time Bank operates out of the Pilmeny Development Project’s premises at 19-21 Buchanan Street in Leith, Edinburgh. Members offer and receive help with tasks such as gardening, sewing, simple repairs, listening support, and running errands, with Mary O’Connell acting as the scheme’s main contact.

Timebanking UK lists Leith Time Bank as one of five active time banks in Scotland that have formed a network to share experience running local schemes.

How did it happen?

The exchange runs on a strict one-hour-equals-one-hour basis: an hour spent helping a neighbour with gardening earns exactly the same credit as an hour spent teaching someone a skill or giving someone a lift, regardless of what the task would cost if paid for directly. Members log hours through Timebanking UK’s shared platform, which several Scottish time banks use to record exchanges.

Leith Time Bank has a particular focus on older people and carers, groups who often have practical needs — running errands, minor repairs, company — that fall outside what formal care services provide, but who also frequently have skills and time they can offer to others in return.

Why does it matter?

Treating every member’s hour as equal, rather than pricing help by skill or task, avoids the two-tier dynamic that can develop in informal volunteering, where some people are only ever helped and others are only ever helpers. A member who receives help with a repair one month can give help with childcare or listening support the next, keeping the relationship reciprocal rather than one-directional.

Because Leith Time Bank runs locally out of a single Leith address, members are exchanging help with actual neighbours, which tends to build ongoing relationships rather than one-off transactions.

What were the key results?

• Leith Time Bank operates from the Pilmeny Development Project, Buchanan Street, Leith, Edinburgh
• One of five active time banks in Scotland, networked through Timebanking UK
• Exchange model: one hour of help given equals one hour of help received, regardless of task
• Focus on older people and carers, alongside general neighbourhood mutual aid
• Services exchanged include gardening, sewing, simple repairs, listening, and errands
• Hours logged and tracked through Timebanking UK’s shared platform
• Named contact (Mary O’Connell) available for people wanting to join

What happens next?

Leith Time Bank continues to recruit members through the Pilmeny Development Project’s community networks.

Scotland’s five-strong time bank network plans to keep sharing setup and running experience with new groups considering starting a time bank.

Timebanking UK said it will continue supporting local schemes like Leith’s through its shared exchange platform.

Pilmeny Development Project said it hopes to expand the range of skills on offer as membership grows.