Fair Shares runs Time Banks in Gloucestershire which focus on two way volunteering which is explained more fully below. We began our work with the prison estate with HMP Gloucester and this successful partnership continued for six years, until the prison closed in 2013. We are currently working with HMP Leyhill, HMP Erlestoke and HMP Eastwood Park and are developing work with HMP Dartmoor. Time Banking is a great way of engaging with all members of our communities and benefits on a number of social, health and economic levels. Our participants in the prisons are either involved in Times2, our Maths peer mentoring scheme or volunteer for other organisations and use time banking to add extra value to the work that they already undertake.
Time Banking is a system of two-way volunteering; for every hour of your time you put in, you earn an hour of help in return or you can decide to give those hours to help those in the community who need extra support via the goodwill pot.