NEW research has revealed that Newbury is the UK’s most generous city, with the largest number of individuals giving away their unwanted household items – for free – via the top sharing app OLIO.

The data, which looks at sharing habits in towns and cities outside of London, has shown that Newbury has had the largest number of free items listed on the OLIO app this year; followed closely by Folkestone and Great Yarmouth.

The news comes as OLIO prepares to launch its first annual ‘Share Saturday’ initiative – a virtual sharing event that falls the day after Black Friday and acts as a sustainable antidote to the busy consumer shopping event, by encouraging Brits to give away items they no longer use to others in their communities.

OLIO aims to make Saturday 26 November 2022 the biggest day ever for passing on pre-loved items, to support communities and combat the effects of climate change, by making use of the resources we already have.

OLIO is a local community app that connects neighbours with each other so they can give away, rather than throw away, household items or food and so they can lend and borrow everyday things instead of buying brand new. You can share anything on OLIO, from electricals to books, clothes to kitchenware, baby items to pet accessories.

Speaking about the campaign, Sally Monaghan, 26, one of Newbury’s most prolific OLIO sharers – having donated 246 pre-loved items over the past 12 months – said: “I just love knowing other people can make use of my pre-loved things, especially now my little ones are getting older. I regularly find bits and pieces they no longer need, and I love the feeling of sharing them instead of throwing them away; that would just be such a waste of good condition items.”

The UK’s most sharing cities, based on the average number of shares per population are:

Newbury
Folkestone
Great Yarmouth
Cambridge
Cheshunt
York
Crawley
Swindon
Dudley
Weston-super-Mare

Sally Monaghan from Newbury commented on why she loves to share her belongings: “I feel great after someone comes to collect something. Knowing it’s gone to another good home where it can also be well used and loved makes me feel great. It gives me such a positive feeling knowing I have helped someone else in the community, especially now the cost of living has gone up and not everything is as affordable anymore.”

Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO of OLIO, added: “At a time when so many people are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table, mass consumer shopping events like Black Friday are perpetuating this idea that now is the time for Brits to spend, spend, spend.

“It doesn’t need to be this way. We all have so much stuff at home that we no longer use, but could be invaluable to someone else in our community – so now is a really great time to spread the love and share our spare. I can’t wait to see how many items we can rehome on Share Saturday and hope the rest of the UK follows in Newbury’s generous footsteps.”