Donate your garden and household tools that you no longer want or use to Tools with a mission (TWAM). They collect unwanted usable tools, refurbishes them, and sorts them into trade tool kits for livelihood creation and community groups. Bring your tools to the Free Compost event in Acton on 16 May or at ReActon hub in their opening hours. Or contact Paul at Paul paul.leonard@twam.uk, based in Twickenham to arrange donating them.
Tools with a mission aim is to empower people and groups in need. They offer groups a way through tools to put poverty in the past and begin their own sustainable careers. In doing so, they also enrich our local UK communities through volunteering opportunities and waste reduction. This contributes significantly to environmental sustainability and circular economy by reusing and keeping these tools in circulation.
Tools wanted list: Donate your tools
The have an extensive Wanted tools list. If you have the tools listed below, gathering dust in the shed or loft then donate your tools to TWAM:
- Gardening tools: forks, spades, hoes, rakes, hand forks and trowels, loppers, secateurs, shears, cultivators, sickles, shovels, axes, bow saws, trimmers and strimmers, ladders/step-ladders, wheelbarrows, pressure washers, and lawnmowers (all types).
- Builders’ tools: spirit levels, sledgehammers, bolsters, cold chisels, all types of hammers and trowels, pin and lines, and tape measures.
- Carpenters’ tools: sliding bevels, braces, clamps, hand drills and bits, rasps, all types of hammers, all types of planes and saws, rules, screwdrivers, carpenter’s squares, vices, oil stones, screws, nails, bolts, and Workmate benches (in good condition).
- Electricians’ tools: hand drills and bits, all types of electrical pliers and hacksaws, electrical screwdrivers, soldering irons, volt meters and multimeters, wire strippers, utility knives and blades, and plastic toolboxes.
- Mechanics’ tools: allen keys, files, vices, feeler gauges, wheel wrenches, all types of hammers and pliers, drifts, metric socket sets, spanners, adjustable spanners, cantilever toolboxes, hacksaws and blades, and oil cans.
- Plumbers’ tools: basin or tap wrenches, Stilson wrenches, wire brushes, breast drills and bits, various grips, and holesaws.
- Power tools: hand and bench drills, sanders, planers, jigsaws, circular saws, bandsaws, chop saws, lathes, rotavators, welding machines, generators, bench and angle grinders, and routers.
- Garage workshop: hydraulic jacks, axle stands, battery chargers, large engineering vices, and crowbars.
- Sewing machines: manual, electric, treadle, industrial, overlockers, accessories, patterns, and instructions.
- Knitting machines: manual and electric, all types of knitting wool, knitting needles, accessories, patterns, and instructions.
For full details of all the tools they want go to Tools wanted list. This list is not about what we want, but about what people can use. What may be useful to us may not be useful to recipients in their partner countries. So when they say we can’t take something, they don’t mean to be ungrateful; they are being honest.
Items they cannot take include household items such as books, spectacles, walking frames or sticks, wheelchairs, pans, cooking pots, crockery, cutlery, kitchen utensils, mattresses or curtains. They also cannot take gas cylinders, paint, oil, chemicals, household appliances and fittings, , light bulbs or fluorescent tubes.
Tools from local to global
Through the Tools with a mission ‘local to global’ model, they prevent over 200 tonnes of tools from crowding UK landfills annually. They engage local communities, offering volunteering opportunities that nurture skills and foster social connections. The impact of their work resonates globally. They supply refurbished tools to over 500 organisations in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa. These tools equip individuals with the skills needed to completely transform their lives and communities.
So when next in the shed or the loft, think about what tools you can donate to TWAM.
Apply for a TWAM tool kit
Tools with a mission support charities, faith-based or community groups. Their aim is to empower good causes with tools, whilst promoting a greener, healthier environment for everyone. They provide Tool Kits of a wide variety such as carpentry, mechanics, builders, plumbers, agricultural, sewing, knitting machine. For full list see What is in a Tool Kit?
Before you think about applying for tools, they would like you to think through what you will do with those tools. Also how you will ensure that the project you need them for will run for many successful years. They acknowledge that nobody can guarantee success, but also that there are things you can do to make it much more likely you will succeed. They have a project guide to give you advice and help you avoid the most common reasons that projects fail.
Whether you are starting a small training project in your home, a larger skills training project in your church or community, or planning a much more ambitious skills centre with its own building and staff, the guide should help.
For more information on applying and support see Apply for life-changing tools.