Friends and Fondue

on August 20 2010 Hilary Murdoch said:

So I had a good Streetbank experience today that was quite fun…

I put a note up asking to borrow a fondue set for a dinner party and also asking for dolls clothes so that i can make a box frame/sculpture as a gift for a friend who’s having a new baby. By the end of the day I had two offers of fondue sets and two offers of dolls clothes! So today I went round to pick up the fondue set and got on really well with the lady who was loaning it. She said she uses Streetbank all the time. She also gave me some dolls clothes on the condition that I came round and did some craft making with her 8 year old daughter sometime. So I am going to go round and teach her daughter how to make box frames like the one I’m making!

I am excited about having my fondue dinner party with enough fondue sets for a long table full of people and about surprising my friend with a creative gift, but also I’m excited that I have made a connection with a family in my neighbourhood that I would never have met before!

Maire's Story

Without Streetbank, I would have hoarded all my baby gear as opposed to meeting someone really nice and give it to a deserving home. Without Streetbank I might not have met the amazing neighbour who gave a knitting lessons to my child while we downed red wine and chatted, or met the neighbour who strung my daughter's guitar. I might not have the fab music centre that was fortuitously advertised the day mine died; or met the amazing Chrissy who gave my daughters a ton of brilliant books. I might not have had coffee with another really charming neighbour whilst experiencing pangs of Floor Envy (she has a great floor),

I think the thing that touched me most was the number of people who rustled up VCRs for me when in desperation I contacted Streetbank: My child with Autism fast-forwards and re-winds videos and when they break and we have no replacement ready and waiting she screams the house down. I have been really moved that so many people were quite so incredibly kind. Similarly when a pal was looking for some urgent advice on NHS dentists, and I posted a query, the response was fantastic. People bothered to reply. That's the thing. In a world that can be quite bleak Streetbank is quite an eye opener to the possibility that that many people have a kind and altruistic side to them.