Spice Time Credits facilitate community engagement and involvement across communities and services.

Spice has been working with Carmarthenshire County Council over the past two years to develop a programme that now has 600 members. Participants have been aged between 3 and 97 years. These individuals have given over 17,500 hours back to their community through the scheme through a network of 70 organisations.

“Time Credits open up the opportunity to discuss the needs of a community, the wishes, desires, issues and problems. They bring people together who might not normally meet and offer an opportunity to be aware of the very idea of a community which is often lost these days. Time Credits are a form of communication, open to all people… without community, there is no backbone to existence”

Carmarthenshire Time Credit member

How Spice Time Credits work: everyone has something to give People receive Time Credits as a thank you for contributing time to their community or service. They can then ‘spend’ Time Credits to access events, training and leisure activities, or to thank others in turn.

Earning Time Credits: Services and local community groups identify current and new opportunities for people to give their time. The new opportunities are based on the interests, skills and availability of local people.

Spending Time Credits: Public, community and private organisations identify ways people can spend Time Credits with their services or at events. This can be ‘spare capacity’ at theatres or swimming pools for example, or for community services a way of recognising and thanking people for the contributions they have made (trips for young people on free school meals become trips for young people who have contributed). Spice spending menus include a wide range of community organisations as well as higher profile opportunities such as the National Botanical Gardens of Wales and the Millennium Stadium.

Carmarthenshire Time Credits

Impact to Date

Over the last year, Time Credits have been embedded across initiatives to deliver Carmarthenshire’s Integrated Community Strategy.

51% individuals earning Time Credits have never or rarely given their time before 84% of participants state that they are very likely to continue giving their time 73% of participants feel they can contribute more.

People in Carmarthenshire are healthier 34% of participants feel healthier as a result of being part of Time Credits. Earners in Carmarthenshire can spend their Time Credits with Carmarthenshire Leisure Services, local gyms and fitness providers.

John Moran became a Carmarthenshire Time Credit Earner in May 2013. He currently gives 4 -5 hours a week and spends his credits at the Ammanford Leisure Centre fitness. He said “I had never used a gym previously, but as a result of using the gym I have lost two and a half stone in weight and have already felt the benefits making me feel fitter and healthier. I am hoping to continue using the gym and to lose some more weight. Because I enjoy being a volunteer it is a bonus to earn the Time Credits and rewarding to spend them as I would not normally be able to afford the gym membership”.

Participation in Time Credit Earn and Spend activities have also led to improvements in mental well being. Joanne Simons, a Time Credit earner with Llaneli Woman’s aid commented ““Time Credits have changed my life. After being in a domestic violence relationship, your confidence, your faith, your beliefs, your trust in people disappears and you lock yourself away but Time Credits help so many people out there like myself.”

People in Carmarthenshire fulfil their learning potential

“I really enjoyed the taster sign language course so much, fantastic teacher and will look brilliant on my CV, I’m now going to college to do level 1 in BSL sign language, Time Credits enabled me to access this course.” Carmarthenshire Time Credit Earner

66% of participants report that they have learnt a new skill as part of their involvement in the Time Credits Programme. In Carmarthenshire, members have been able to access courses in Food Hygiene, First Aid, BSL sign language, Community Development as well as sessions run by Carmarthenshire Adult Community Education

Joanne Simons completed a Business Enterprise 2 course with Coleg Sir Gar and now feels has the skills and confidence to develop her business idea into reality; “The course was amazing, hard, stressful, laughter, and most importantly I made new friends and gained confidence. I have done presentations, powerpoints - to some it may not seem a lot, but for me it’s been a huge difference.”

Volunteers are supporting Family Learning sessions facilitated by Community First and young people not in education, employment or training have been able to learn bike maintenance and use their new skills to help others in their community.

People who live, work and visit Carmarthenshire are safe and feel safer

65% of participants in Time Credit Programmes spend more time with others in their community and 43% have more trust in people in their own community.

Time Credits have supported the launch of a new ‘Street Buddies’ initiative where by community members become the ‘ears and eyes’ of the community and ensure that local services focus on what matters most to local community members. Tenants have started to run lunch clubs and coffee mornings, new activities which have helped to address social isolation on Carmarthenshire Housing Estates.

‘Earning Time Credits helps to keep your mind alert, you meet new people and learn new skills. It also stops you from becoming isolated and helps the community to be a safer place to live in’ - Time Credit Participant

Carmarthenshire’s communities and environment are sustainable Time Credits have supported a number of environmental initiatives such as ‘Pride in Your Patch’ where local community members actively manage local parks and green spaces, community clean ups and community involvement in estate inspections. Tenants have taken more ownership of community spaces and are now actively contributing to the maintenance of their local area.

Intergenerational projects have brought together different groups in the community to develop ‘growing spaces’. A local youth project contributed their time to clear and plant flowers in a Glangwilli Community Hospital and have now decided to build on the enthusiasm demonstrated by young people by developing a local food project. Community mentors will earn Time Credits by supporting young people to grow their own food.

Time Credits have also increased the capacity of local community organisations and enabled them to offer new services such as children’s activities. 84% of Time Credit earners are very likely to continue giving their time & 73% of participants feel they can contribute more, contributing to the sustainability of local community initiatives.

Carmarthenshire has a stronger and more prosperous economy“Thank you so much for my time credits today, this now means that I and my family, can now enjoy a very rare family day out to somewhere that we usually wouldn`t be able to afford to go” - Carmarthenshire Time Credit Earner

“Adding to my C.V. this evening that I have now become a Community Ambassador for  Carmarthenshire TC” -Carmarthenshire Time Credit Earner

52% participants report being able to afford to do more things by participating in the Time Credits Scheme.

Several volunteers have gone on to employment following their involvement with the scheme. Stella Stanhope had been out of work since 2007 and has recently started a new job in retail. She describes how her Time Credits experiences helped her to get back into work; “Earning Time Credits has made me want to do things instead of sitting at home doing nothing all day. It’s given me confidence to even go to the interview and get the role, as being a Time Credit Administrator made me feel important and as I’ve made loads of new friend it’s made me feel like I can do something useful and I am enjoying my new job!”

Time Credits have also supported community responses to fuel poverty by enabling local community volunteers to run a local ‘fuel club’. This has provided more affordable fuel to housing tenants on a number of housing estates in Carmarthenshire.

Time Credit earners also support their peers at debt and advice sessions facilitated by Community First.

Future Developments“Time credits have helped me to regain some form of community life. This time last year I was too afraid to go outside on my own & knew no one in my local area” - Carmarthenshire Time Credit Earner

The success of Time Credits within Carmarthenshire Housing Service and Communities First has created interest across a number of Council Teams.

Probation, Youth Offending, Leisure Services, Health and Social Care and Children’s Services have all expressed interest in developing initiatives to support their work, demonstrating the potential growth of Carmarthenshire Time Credits to grow in the future.