Gloucestershire Citizen -17 May 1999

A former civil rights lawyer from the United State who also wrote speeches for Bobby Kennedy has officially launched the Fair Shares community project at Newent.

Edgar Cahn pioneered the Time Dollars project in the States where people's time and not their cash is the currency that counts.

An hour spent helping a neighbour with their gardening could earn an hour's work from a car mechanic or a computer skills teacher.

The scheme, which is transforming 200 American communities, has been exported to Britain where Fair Shares projects are running at Newent and Stonehouse with plans for new groups in the Forest of Dean and Cheltenham.

Mr Cahn was the guest of honour at the Memorial Hall to give the Fair Shares project in the town his blessing.

The hall was packed with Fair Shares participants, supporters, and groups interested in setting up their own projects who had travelled from as far away as London and Newcastle.

Speaking to The Citizen, Mr Cahn said 'Sometimes children outshine their parents and what has been achieved here in one year normally takes two to three years in the States.

'What is remarkable is that it has worked here, a country that usually regards anything American with suspicion and which has a healthy scepticism about anything that appears to let government off the hook.'

Mr Cahn invented Time Dollars after he suffered a heart attack in 1980 and felt uncomfortable with his helplessness as nurses and doctors cared for him.

'I did not like feeling useless and this was in the 1980's when society was declaring a lot of people useless - the unemployed, the elderly, the young.'

'Time Dollars in the States and Fair Shares here makes everyone valued by placing the value on their time, not on the market scarcity of their work.' he said.

Newent Fair Shares participant John Harding, 76. said the service recreates the community minded spirit of the past when neighbour helped neighbour.

'My wife suffered a stroke four years ago but with Fair Shares I can get someone to look after her while I go to a club meeting twice a month.'

He repays the time by helping address envelopes for Fair Shares and helping with the duplication of audio cassettes about the project, which has 47 participants in Newent and 41 in Stonehouse,.

Melanie Lovelock (50) has earned 59 time credit hours by staffing the Fair Shares shop in Newent, which keeps 'bank records' and issues statements showing how much time people have helped or been helped.

Fair Shares is in urgent need of gardeners and people who can sew but whatever you can do - from book keeping to dog walking - will be of help to someone.

For more information visit the Fair Shares shop at George Mews, Church Street, Newent, in the mornings or contact its Gloucester head office on 01452 541337.

Copyright © 2005, Fair Shares - Created by Joe Selwyn Designs.