Love Barrow families expects families to have assets and skills to share and the concept of give and take has been central to our approach. Co-production means building reciprocal relationships between people which recognise mutual skills and change the power balance between professionals and recipients so that they are equal partners.
We are all very proud of being Barrovians and we want to let agencies and services know that in Barrow we can all do a lot to look after each other. We all need help at times, some more than others. If we can look after and support families that are going through hard times then maybe there will be less of us that get to the point where professionals have to get involved. Sharing our skills and connecting with others is also great for physical and mental health!
We are currently renaming our Timebank to reflect the development of Love Barrow families. A Timebank is an exchange of skills and time so that one hour of my time is equivalent to an hour of yours. Timebank members have been involved in doing practical tasks for one another such as decorating and gardening or simply offering a listening ear. Dionne and Michael have been talking to our Timebank members to get their views.
These are some of the things we have been doing:-
Helen has been leading a walk for families
Dad’s have been cooking together
We have been working on an allotment and on our planter at the Green Heart Den
We have an upcycling group
We have been running coffee mornings and pop up shops where we have raised funds for children’s activities
Our children have been able to take part in lots of holiday activities
