ABOUT/FAQ
Dorchester & South Dorset LETS
Your Local Exchange Trading System for Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland and the Surrounding Villages
CLICK HERE FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS >>
LET’S GET TOGETHER
All over Dorset, the UK and worldwide, there are groups of people getting things done without using money… they belong to their Local Exchange Trading System - ‘LETS’. There are now over 400 LETS in Britain (plus more all over the world), with new groups starting up every month.
- LETS is a modern bartering and skills swapping system.
- Everyone has something they can offer on LETS.
- LETS is open to all – individuals, families, professionals and businesses.
Dorchester & South Dorset LETS (formely know just as Dorchester LETS) has been running for over 12 years and has around 70 members all living either in Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland or the surrounding villages, and our membership is continuing to grow.
We have set-up this Website and Blog in the hope that we can bring our LETS members together even further through an online community as well as promote the benefits of joining LETS to gain more members.
We are part of the Dorset LETS Network which keeps the county’s LETS groups in touch with each other and also provides inter-trading opportunities.
We are also members of LETSlink UK – the UK’s Local Exchange Trading and Complementary Currencies Development Agency. This means we can also inter-trade with other LETS groups throughout the UK if we wish to.
CLICK HERE FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS >>
LET’S SAVE MONEY
LETS is a brilliant way of trading goods and services without the need for cash, and aims to provide a sustainable economy through using a complementary currency.
- LETS members get lots of things done without the need for cash.
- In Dorchester & South Dorset we trade our time, skills or produce using our own local currency called ‘marts’ (and across Dorset there are also Hardys, Nets, Apples, Becs, Marbles and Cobbs, all being used as payment for goods and services within their particular group).
- ‘Marts’ are always readily available – you don’t have to earn before you can spend.
- LETS ‘cheques’ cannot bounce so no-one is ever waiting for payment, and there is no interest charged on a debit account.
A Directory of members goods and services both ‘OFFERED’ and ‘WANTED’ is available to all LETS members. As a member, if you have something surplus to sell or you need to get your leaking tap fixed, get a room decorated, borrow a ladder, get a babysitter or whatever, all you need to do is look in your LETS Directory and contact the person you need. They’ll come along and do the work for you, and in most cases, won’t charge you a penny for their time!
Do please remember to use your common sense though – you wouldn’t let an unqualified electrician re-wire your house or a complete stranger baby sit your children – even if they don’t cost you cash! So take this as a disclaimer – don’t blame us if things go wrong!!! : )
When you buy something or get a job done, you simply write out a LETS cheque and give it to the person who made the offer. They pass the cheque to the administrators who will credit one account and debit the other. They are then free to ’spend’ their currency with another member when they need something, leaving you with a commitment to the group to do something sometime for any member. You don’t have to trade one-to-one, and it is entirely up to you whether or not to respond to a request.
Some services involve solely someone’s time and/or effort, others include a materials cost, which may need to be covered in sterling. The proportion of cash and local currency paid is by agreement between the traders beforehand.
CLICK HERE FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS >>
LET’S TRADE LOCALLY
LETS puts local people in touch with each other, matching needs with available skills.
Check out the ‘OFFERED’ section for a taster list of member’s services offered in our LETS Directory and check out the ‘WANTED’ section for other services members are looking for as advertised on our blog. All members currently receive a Directory by post updated twice a year with the full list of services offered and members details.
LET’S HELP OUR COMMUNITY
- LETS is for everyone – those in work, or the unemployed, school-leavers, senior citizens, single parents, new business ventures, small businesses, shops, community groups – the list is endless.
- LETS is an economy based on friendship.
- LETS helps people help each other.
- LETS helps people feel useful in their community.
LET’S SUSTAIN OUR ECONOMY
- LETS trades locally wherever possible.
- LETS enables trading when cash is in short supply.
- LETS currency is interest free.
- LETS can also help businesses save money.
LET’S HELP OUR PLANET
- LETS aims to use locally sourced, ethical, sustainable and fair trade products.
- LETS aims to recycle and reduce waste.
- LETS aims to reduce our carbon footprint.
CLICK HERE FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS >>
LET’S MEET THE MEMBERS
Dorchester & South Dorset LETS currently have around 70 members some of whom are part of a family or business membership. As an ice breaker, why not come along to one of our Core Group Meetings and/or check out our Events listings for news on LETS Trading Days.
LET’S MEET THE CORE GROUP
We divide up the jobs involved in running our LETS between our Core Group Members. We meet monthly and meetings are mellow, usually over a shared meal. All members can join us and contribute ideas and meet other members. Check out the dates of our next Core Group Meetings.
Our Core Group Members are currently as follows:
Chair / Core Group Co-ordinator – Katy Murrell
Membership Co-ordinator – Jenny Eddison
Directory Editor – Jenny Eddison
Members Support / Trading Activator – Sabine Bale
Newsletter Editor – Chris Slade
Events Co-ordinator – Katy Murrell
Publicity / Promotion – Julie Pemberton
Sterling Treasurer – Andy Mott
LETS (Marts) Accounts – Susie Hosford
Website Manager – Anna Celeste Watson
Blitz-It Gang Co-Ordinator – Justin Oakley
CLICK HERE TO GET TO KNOW YOUR CORE GROUP BETTER (check out their Personal Profiles) >>
