Welcome

The Freegle Give and Take at Shap went really well on Saturday, with around 120 people visiting and hundreds of free items received and picked up: sack barrow, DIY brackets, toolbox, blinds, brush, bike pump, three bins, washing up rack, electric fan, microwave, TV, shredder, picnic table, hand drills, airer, stool, slow cooker, duvet, pint glass, books, clothes, tools, jigsaws, more glasses, toys, magazines, santa hat, primus, Trangia, camp pans, seed potatoes, wind breaks, curtains, camp chairs, coffee maker, patio chairs, lamps, fish kettle, book stand, hi-fi, vacuum cleaner, greenhouse heater, clothes airer, kettle, video recorder, kitchen chairs, picture, teapot, rugs, another hoover, garden books, another teapot and plates.

Chris and Caz grow asparagus kale and are giving away free seeds if you send them a Stamped Address Envelope (SAE) to Lake View, Bampton, Penrith CA10 2QU.

Asparagus Kale is the most wonderful of vegetables! The leaves have a more delicate flavour than cabbage or other kales and can be eaten through the winter even when picked frozen solid. It's a bienniel so each plant lasts two years. It has leaves to eat both years - and in late spring of the second year copious quantities of tender shoots appear, similar to sprouting broccoli but with a much more subtle flavour. Keep picking and the plant keeps producing for several months, even beyond midsummer. And then you can save the seed for next year.

Freegle groups in Cumbria have a great partnership with the Waste Prevention Team at Cumbria County Council. They help us run events and we help them by reducing the amount going to waste. Together, we were shortlisted for the partnership award at the LARAC awards 2015.

The council team have supported Freegle in many ways, including helping at many Freegle Give and Take events across Eden District and now spreading further afield to Kendal and Barrow, with one planned for Whitehaven.

A hand-made heart is a sure to be a hit for Valentine's day. You can make any size heart you want! All you need is paper, glue, some cord, string or yarn, a needle and thread, or a stapler, or UHU type glue, and a bead or bell.

Freegle volunteer Chris gives his cardigan a trendy elbow patch - OK he darns a hole as best he can! And out of the blue, has to fix the downstairs loo.

And have a look at a video of many things that have been Freegled during 2016. What can you do to save the world's resources in 2017 - apart from using Freegle of course!

Freegle volunteer Elaine explains how to make pompoms from left over wool. Really small pompoms can be made with little more than wool, and a table fork!

Make a lot of small Pompoms in various colours, leaving a long tail of yarn after they have been tied off. Then fasten the pompoms to a long length of cord or string - or crochet the tails into long chain. Hang the chain on your tree or around the house or on your head!

Make a heartfelt gift this Christmas by knitting for your loved one - anything from a jumper to an outfit for their favourite toy. And it's fun to do as well!

Meet the Freegle bookcase! This is inside the Penrith Devonshire Arcade near the library entrance. Please put any small things there that you don't need for anyone to take eg books, DVDs or small toys. The bookcase is also a drop-off point for items promised to other Freeglers.

Local Freegler Helen Cooper says, "LOVE our Freegle bookcase - we have found it really handy to be able to pass on usable items using the bookcase and we have also managed to pick up a couple of books and tractor magazines for our little boy - which will be recycled back to the bookcase once finished ?. It is a fantastic idea ? ?

Making your own Christmas decorations is fun and cheap - and a great way for the kids to help out. You can make paper chains and loads of things to go on the tree - and home made cards. And nearer the time you can make home made wrapping for presents and even bake a present!

Freegle moderator Elaine is a dab hand at making things. Follow Elaine's instructions to make some splendid airy baubles to hang on a Christmas tree. All you'll need is some balloons, PVA glue and some absorbent string, yarn or raffia.

Tell us your best tip for reusing or recycling things and you could win a free book of Waste Not Want Not ideas, kindly donated by Recycle for Cumbria.