After ten years since its founding (and 17 years since the first LETS scheme was set up in the UK), Letslink UK has now come of age. Instead of all wisdom emanating from the organisation's centre, we have reached the stage where we can recognise that a vast amount of experience has been gained by long-standing, successful local groups, and that by tapping into this expertise, lessons learned from success (and failure) can be made available to a new generation of LETS organisers, many of whom are working on a professional basis, as more local authorities and funded community organisations become involved.

To achieve this aim, we are in the process of consolidating our existing democratic structures, and at the same time launching a research project amongst our own membership (who were last surveyed by us in 1995, and more recently by an ESRC-funded project between 1997 and 2000), to enable us to identify, record and propagate good practice. This could be the way forward to achieving for LETS an extension of "the benefits disregard" which has already been obtained for more limited time-only schemes. Although at initial launch stage our organisation is still unfunded, we are confident that our research project will attract funding as it gains momentum.

Researchers who approach us are now being asked to cooperate with us, and their topics are being placed in order of priority, alongside questions arising from the organisational needs or our own members, to ensure that LETS coordinators are able to cope with the extra demands placed upon them by researchers.

 

FOUNDER/COORDINATOR RETIRES

Liz Shephard resigned in August 2000 as Coordinator and Development Worker for Letslink UK after ten years of unremitting effort. The heavy workload, including Parliamentary negotiations to obtain a Benefits disregard for participants in LETS schemes, on top of supporting the development of 450 LETS schemes and administering the Board of Letslink UK (which had been established as a Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable Aims in 1997 in order to receive Funding from the Lottery Community Fund), had begun to tell on Liz's health. Liz is now living in Devon and is an active member of her local LETS.

At the end of the two-year funding period, Rae Orr, who had joined the organisation to help with the 1998 Conference, heroically continued with the basic administration of the organisation from her home in Portsmouth on a voluntary basis, but was forced to give up during the Spring of 2001 when DSS rules forced her to take other paid work. The Trustees, as a group, were unclear how to proceed in Liz's absence, and most withdrew in September 2000. The interim solution has now been found of combining the basic administrative work within the remit of Letslink London, which had been represented on the Board. Efforts are now being made to encourage parallel local networks in other parts of the country to become better established so that less workload is borne at a central point, and to consult with members in an organised way on how to do this, which is part of the background to the research proposals above.

OVERSEAS LINKS FORGED

One day last November we had a phone call from a student staying in Kent called HongYongHo (translated "Dragon Tiger" = DT), who had been referred to us by a mysterious stranger. He simply said "I want to exchange my energy", so of course the answer was: come right over!

The result has been, for five months, a wonderfully thorough washing-up service, and help with developing the database and catching up with enquiries. However, DT, who was on a gap year from his degree course in robotics, has just had to return home to continue his course.

To wish DT well we had a party attended by members of London-wide-LETS - the only problem was the ladies couldn't persuade enough men to dance so resorted to belly-dancing in a circle (sorry we forgot to take a photo). Then it was a sad farewell, with exchanges of presents, and DT set off for home, armed with a copy of the LETS Info-pack. While he was here, we had an email from the new LETS scheme in South Korea, so we'll wait to hear if they link up. He called us upon his arrival so at least we know that he arrived safely.

OTHER NEWS

This space will become more available for news reports from all over the UK as we learn to develop the site - contact us with your stories: mary@letslinkuk.org.