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Having set up the first time bank in the UK back in 1998, Fair Shares has benefited from committed, knowledgeable and experienced staff who, along with the board of trustees, have helped develop and nurture the organisation over the years.
Everyone is skilled at engaging with individuals, organisations and partners to promote positive and enduring community relationships. Our roles are not to deliver services but to find out what people in the communities want and how we can all achieve this together by supporting each other. These skills are used to initiate and foster new projects as well as maintaining and strengthening existing work.
The current team below are committed to the values and ethos of time banking and their communities.
More about me
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Co Chair
Trustee
Contact us to find out more about how you could get involved.
I'm Ashraf and I have been at Fair Shares since 2009. I am based at our head office and work within accounts and admin. I predominantly look after all of the financial aspects of Fair Shares to include payroll, expenses and budgets to name but a few.
Outside of work I have a keen interest in archery and run two evening groups, at The Chequers Bridge Centre, for both adults and children. I also arrange away days and competitions for us to attend. In the rest of my spare time I enjoy watching movies and I'm very passionate about food.
I'm Chris and I have been a timebroker in Stroud since I joined Fair Shares in November 2007. My work is very diverse, brokering one to one exchanges, supporting groups and running projects. There are three distinct areas to the district: Stroud, Stonehouse and Dursley.
Over the years there have been various projects that have developed in collaboration with other people and agencies including the Cross Generational Project with Open House. The project brought young and older people together to learn from each other and share life experiences. This laid the ground work for our current work with people living with dementia and their carers, including the Gentle Park Walks and the Memory Boxes.
I first got involved with Fair Shares though their young people's work, and eventually joined the office as social media admin and occasional photographer.
Hi, I’m Kathy, I’m the Greening Time Broker in Gloucester based with the team at Friendship Café.
I’ve recently moved to Gloucester from Cardiff. I started volunteering at the allotment which has been a brilliant way of meeting people. Now I’m going to be working 2 days a week for Fair Shares.
I’ll mostly be involved in the Gloucester Wildlife Trust plan to make a green corridor along Barton Street but I’ll be doing other things as well including helping with some of the Young People’s projects alongside Lloyd and Reyaz.
I’m interested in finding out about ways to make our environment as wildlife friendly as possible. My own garden is definitely a work in progress… I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone. My usual work days will be Mondays and Tuesdays.
I’ve worked in the charity, community arts, development, and social enterprise sectors since 2009, leading creative initiatives that bring people together.
For 10 years, I ran the community arts and development charity Stitches in Time and founded FabricWorks, a textile production social enterprise supporting women into employment. My work has ranged from delivering creative playschemes for children to developing a 22-foot community tapestry exhibited at the Tower of London.
After moving to Gloucestershire in 2023, I discovered Fair Shares. The enthusiasm and commitment of everyone involved in building a strong, supportive network struck a chord with me, and I’m proud to be part of a team so dedicated to connection and community.
My name is Lloyd and as a Gloucester resident I'm happy to have gained employment as a member of the Fair Shares team.
My official job title is "Young People's Time Broker" and as such will hopefully get young people involved with Fair Shares who will in turn involve themselves in community partnerships, either as individuals or as part of a group.
Hi, I’m Rachel and I've been working with Fair Shares as the Allotment Manager for over 3 years.
It is an amazing place to be and always a privilege to meet all the visitors and participants that come in as we create a thriving growing space for everyone to enjoy and share in.
My usual working days are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
I was wandering around aimlessly before Fair Shares found me in 2003. I haven’t been the same since!
Like most people, I had no idea what Fair Shares or timebanking was; but the concept spoke to me profoundly and I knew that there was something special about it. I knew that community and bringing people together was really important, and Fair Shares gave me a way to finally put that into action. Back when I started, my idea was to just work here for a bit before I found myself a proper job.
20 years later I’m still here!
"I'm Gavin from Fair Shares, my role is to assist and empower participants to achieve their DIY goals, and help wherever I can.
I previously worked as an Engineer and while the change in role was scary, the staff and participants have made me really welcome and feel like part of a family."
If you have any DIY jobs you'd like someone to give some pointers on and work with you on, or would like to learn some new skills, get in touch with us on 01452 415900 and Gavin will see what he can do!
Alison was involved with the start of Fair Shares in Gloucestershire, and has maintained an interest ever since. She worked for many years as a social worker and later a commissioner supporting social inclusion for adults and children with disabilities and their families.
Alison is now a volunteer in various capacities, a trustee for two charities including Fair Shares, an enthusiastic cyclist, swimmer and a grandparent of three.
Jim worked as a manager in the Civil Service for many years in a variety of people management, HR, strategy and policy, and financial oversight roles.
He was a Chair of Governors at a local comprehensive school for a number of years and is a volunteer with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
He is married with two grown-up children and one, imminently two grandchildren.
Julie Cigman has been involved with Fair Shares since its launch in 1997, and has been an active member of Stroud Fair Shares since 2007. She has exchanged many hours, including cat feeding, computer skills sharing, gardening, alpaca feeding and learning French. She has been involved in the Fair Shares life histories project, an intergenerational cooking project and she helped set up the gentle park walks in Stroud.
Julie is an Early Years consultant and writer, and a granny to 7, soon to be 8, amazing children. She is also a trustee of Hill Valley and Vale Children’s Centres.
Pat has lived in Barton and Tredworth for many years and plays an is active in the community. She is a school governor and has a heart for working with the disadvantaged.
She was ordained eight years ago and ministers in Barton and Tredworth. Prior to that she worked for the local authority as a liaison officer for children and families and children in care.
She is married with two adult children and three grandchildren and enjoys reading and gardening.
Martin Simon is a social activist, author and community organiser. He is passionate about participation, mutuality and social justice.
He founded Fair Shares and Timebanking UK and is co-leader of a social movement now active in 33 countries. His latest book, “Your Money or Your Life: time for both”, vividly records the history of Timebanking and was the first book to be crowd-funded in the UK.
Until recently Martin was the Director of Nurture Development - Trainers in Asset Based Community Development - and Co-Director of ABCD Europe.
He now divides his time between writing, training and 1:1 coaching in all aspects of community building and strength-based approaches to change.